Journey's End
by Roniturtle
Summary: Leonardo Tartaruga and Raphael Hamato are looking forward to starting a new life. But the past keeps getting in the way. My final book to The Traveler series. ***T-CEST***Don't like don't read. RaphXLeo. Violence, mpreg. Still don't own them.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I'm back. Here is the final book to the story "The Travelers Revised." Please enjoy and let me know what everyone thinks. I love to read reviews. Still don't own them.

Journey's End

Ch 1 Catching Up.

Raphael Hamato leaned against his motorcycle as he watched his fiance, Leonardo Tartaruga, walk up the path of a New York City cemetery to a newly laid grave. He sighed heavily as his mind drifted to the past few months. Since the year began it had been one thing after another for the two turtles but, so far, things have finally begun to settle down and Leo had been doing his best to move forward and get past all that had happened.

First, Leo had to deal with all that Raph had put him through; from the purple dragons to coming clean about Mona Lisa being his girlfriend at one time. Then he had to deal with his father, Oroku Saki, returning from the dead and wanting to continue some strange experiment on him he started years ago as well as admitting to the conspiracy with Chris Bradford on killing his mother and being in cahoots with Leo's aunt.

Raph shook his head as he remembered the night everything finally came together for Leo. His aunt's death, her knowledge of everything that was going on. It had torn him up inside. But in the end, some good had come out of it, if they could call it good. Leo's aunt had left him a large amount of money and Leo used that money to relocate his mother's body from California to New York a week after he buried his aunt.

During Spring Break, they returned to LA so Leo could go back to his mother's house and pack up what was his. He made arrangements to put the house up for sale. Since it was never put in his step-father's name, he was next of kin and was free to do with it as he wanted. He hired movers to assist with the things he wanted to keep and send to New York to be put in a storage unit and hired a Real Estate Agent to take care of the sale. After everything was done, he and Raph came back to New York and shortly after, his mother's body followed.

He then made arrangements to sell his aunt's apartment. Turned out that she actually owned it and since he was her only next of kin, as was stated in the will that the apartment was to be his, Leo had decided he could never go back into it let alone keep it after his aunt's murder. So he once again hired people to take care of it and refused to step foot in it, which Raph completely understood. Leo was doing everything he could to move forward and put the past behind him for good. So Raph had gone in and got Leo's stuff out as well as most of his aunt's personal belongings and left the rest of the furnishings for the real estate company to deal with.

Now, Raph watched as Leo placed a small bouquet of flowers on his mother's grave. He whispered loving words to her before turning to a slightly older grave next to it; his Aunt Irma's grave. He placed flowers on it and once again spoke words of love before turning to Raph.

He walked down the path and smiled lovingly at him. "Isn't your mom's grave just on the other side of the cemetery? Leo asked. "You've have yet to bring me over there, maybe you'd like to do that now and pay your respects to her?"

Raph put his arms around Leo's waist and gazed into his blue eyes. It was good to see Leo looking happy after all he had gone through. If there was one thing he had come to discovered about him from the start was that Leo was a very determined turtle, and when he set his mind to something, he was determine to see that it would happen.

But at this request, Raph shook his head. "Not this time." He replied with a smile. "Maybe another day." Leo frowned at him but didn't push the matter.

They kissed tenderly before putting their helmets on and getting onto Raph's bike. As they were just about to leave, Raph looked at Leo in his rear view mirror and noticed Leo looking around nervously. "Something wrong babe?"

"I just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me…or…us." Leo muttered, his eyes searching over the area he had just been at.

Raph got the bike in gear and shook his head. "You've been feeling like this ever since we got back from LA." He told him rather hesitantly. "Are you sure your not just feeling a bit…um… paranoid, what with everything that happened and all." It was more of a statement then a question.

Leo glared at him from behind. "No, I'm not just being paranoid." He said rather hotly. He put his arms around Raph's waist and looked back at the two graves as Raph drove the bike out of the cemetery and toward home.

As they drove off, Leo continued to look over to his mom and aunt's grave site, still feeling a strange overwhelming sense of being watched, but still, he saw nothing so he forced himself to look away and revel in the fact that his mom was finally home.

But what the turtle didn't see, just beyond the graves, several feet away from the where he had just been, hiding behind a mausoleum, stood a tall lanky man with lightly sandy brown hair and brown eyes filled with anger and hate. In his hands, he had a camera that held a long range telephoto lens. As Raph drove off, the man took pictures of the two turtles, an angry twisted scowl on his mouth and a murderous look forming in his eyes as he took photo after photo of the two turtles.

"I promised you I'd never let you go Leonardo" Jeffrey Moore seethed, his angry eyes narrowing. "And I always keep my promises. You will be mine again and this...Raphael…will be nothing more then a mere memory." He clenched his fist in anger around the strap of the camera. "Once I get through with him."


	2. Ch 2 Memories of the Past

Ch 2 Memories of the Past

"Ughhh." Leonardo cried out as he attempted once again to light the pilot light of the stove. "I'm telling you Mikey, your appliances hate me!" He stood up and wiped dirt off his face.

Mikey and Donnie held back a giggle. "You're just doing it wrong bro." Mikey took the lighter from Leo and bent down to light the stove.

"What I don't get is how you not only manage to blow the pilot light out, but how you managed to get dirty doing it?" Donnie questioned. "After all, the stove is pretty clean underneath?" Donnie leaned against the wall and shook his head, doing his best not too laugh. "What are you trying to do anyway?"

"Raph is studying really hard for this test coming up tomorrow." Leo explained. "I want to make him some dinner."

"What are you trying to make him?" Mikey asked, sounding nervous. "Maybe I can help."

Leo held up a can of soup and a loaf of bread. "Just some soup and sandwiches." He answered.

Mikey stared at him in disbelief. "Well, at least their easy to make and you won't be sending him to the hospital to get his stomach pumped like you did last time you made him supper." He muttered. He walked over to the refrigerator and rummaged around.

"That was an accident." Leo protested. "And how was I suppose to know that wasn't salad dressing?"

Again, Donnie had to stifle his laughter. "Because I have all my ingredients in the left side of the pantry and the container said turpentine." Mikey answered as he grabbed the can of soup and bread from Leo and put them to the side. "Dude, if you want Raph to have a decent meal, then let me make it."

"The label fell off the container Mikey." Leo told him. He huffed and sat down at the table. "I guess it's safe to say Raph isn't marrying me because I'm a good cook."

Upon hearing that, Donnie suddenly grabbed his stomach and doubled over. He turned his shell to the others and laughed hard against the wall. "Leo bro." He said wiping his eyes and taking deep breaths. "You can't cook at all!"

"Yeah Leo." Mikey said, between laughter. "Your better off staying out of the kitchen after you and Raph get married. Especially if you want Raph to live long enough to see your first anniversary."

"One time and I'm dealing with it for the rest of my life." Leo glared at the two of them before giving a light chuckle."Yeah, I guess your right." He admitted. "Does Raph cook? I don't think I've ever seen him in the kitchen other then to eat."

Mikey and Donnie exchanged looks and smiled. "He can cook but prefers not to." Donnie answered. "Says it's too much work."

"Besides." Mikey smiled at Leo as he sprinkled seasonings into a pot filled with water. "Why bother cooking when you got me."

Leo looked at him and smiled. "That's nice of you Mike but we're not going to be here after we're married." Leo told them. "I would like to look for an apartment or a house sometime after we get back from our honeymoon."

Mikey's face fell."Gee Leo." He said softly. "I never thought about that." He looked at him with sad eyes. "I always thought you two would stay here."

Donnie and Leo looked at Mikey tenderly. "Mikey," Donnie walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you ever propose to Renet, would you expect to still live here?"

Mikey thought for a moment. "No." He answered slowly as reality set in. "I guess I wouldn't." He finished making the meal in silence and thirty minutes later, handed Leo two plates with shrimp scampi on a tray. He finished it off by putting a small flower in a vase and looked at Leo with sad eyes.

Leo took the tray and gave him a soft smile "Hey, cheer up Mike." He told him. "It's not gonna happen right away." He assured him. "Besides, we'll stay close and I'll still be working here at the dojo."

Mikey nodded. "True." He said. Suddenly his eyes brightened. "Hey, how bout I start recording my cooking show for you?" He offered. "That way you can cook for Raphie and I'll even write down all of Raph's favorite food."

"That would be great Mike." Leo said laughing. "Make that a wedding present." He thanked Mikey and, with a nod to Donnie, turned to walk up the stairs and into the guest room where he and Raph had currently taken up residence. The room had a queen size bed and was more like a studio apartment minus the kitchenette, so with Splinter's permission, they were allowed to move in and make it their own. Leo had even requested Splinter deduct money from his paycheck to help pay for rent and other expenses, but Splinter had refused.

"Think of it as a wedding present." He had told him with a chuckle. Leo let it go and he and Raph continued with making wedding plans.

Leo walked in and placed the tray of food on the table. He looked over at Raph, who was currently reading a book, muttering to himself and making notes on a sketch pad. Leo came up behind him and purred in his ear.

"Ready for a break?"

"Not yet." Raph told him. "I just want to go over this last page."

Leo looked down at the sketch pad. Raph had drawn a picture of the insides of a cat and made notes regarding the various organs and bones.

"Wow Raph." Leo said as he looked at the picture. "Did you draw this?"

"Yeah." Raph said, not bothering to look up.

"It's good." Leo complimented. Raph muttered something that sounded like a thank you. Deciding Raph wanted to be left alone, Leo walked back over to the table and looked out the window. It was the beginning of May and the late afternoon sun still shone brightly over the sky. Leo looked down at the street and watched as people hurriedly walked by either on their way home from work or maybe on some errand. His eyes glanced around and landed on a person across the street, his back against a brick wall of the small market. He wore dark sunglasses and a ball cap was pulled down low over his eyes making it difficult to get a good look at him. The figure was staring at the house rather intently.

Leo narrowed his eyes as he peered harder through the window. To him, there was something about the person that seemed strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He was about to call Raph over when the sound of Raph putting his pencil down on the desk and pushing back his chair behind him had him turning around. Raph had stood up and was now yawning and stretching. He walked over to the table and smiled.

"Looks good." He took a seat across from Leo. "Mikey made it, right?" He chuckled.

Leo nodded absentmindedly and looked back out the window. Raph watched as he peered intently through the window. "What's so interesting out there?"

"There was a person across the street watching the house." He told him. "There was something familiar about him."

Raph looked out."Where?"

"At the market across the street." Leo said, stretching his neck longer to try and look around the area. "He's gone."

"He's probably someone whose just interested in joining the dojo and debating weather to do it or not." Raph suggested with a shrug. "He may have visited at one time which is why he seems familiar to you."

Leo turned back to him and nodded. "You're probably right." He told him. He sat down and they enjoyed their dinner and caught up on the days events. For Raph, school had gone well and he was looking forward to his test at school the following morning. "I'm sure I'm going to ace it." He bragged. Leo had taken over the classes for Splinter while he stood back and watched. This was going on more often now and Leo wondered if Splinter was thinking of retiring.

"My dad retire?" Raph laughed. "I can't see that happening for a long time to come."

"Maybe." Leo said. "Or maybe he just wants to do this part time now."

"Possible." Raph agreed. They finished eating and Leo picked up their now empty plates and was just about to walk out the room when he looked back at the sketch pad.

"I didn't know you could draw." He told Raph.

Raph got up and walked behind him. He put his arms around Leo's waist and nuzzled his neck and purred in his ear. "There's a lot about me you don't know." He told him. Leo could hear a hint of seductiveness in his voice.

But Leo ignored Raph's advances and put the tray down on the desk. He picked up the sketch pad and began to flip through the pages. "You don't need to look at the pictures Leo." Raph said, trying to get the book back.

"But they're good pictures." Leo complimented as he looked from one page to the next. He turned away from Raph and kept the book out of his reach. The pictures were all done in pencil and shaded dark. "I can even tell what these pictures are." He went to the very front of the book and was surprised to see pictures of Raph's family when they were much younger. The dates showed Raph as being eight years old.

"You've been drawing in this for almost ten years?" Leo asked him, his eyes raising in surprise.

Raph sat down at the desk and nodded. Leo looked at the second picture. It was that of a young woman with long dark hair and soft dark eyes. Her lips had a bright thin smile and her face was young and beautiful. "Whose this woman?" He asked.

Raph looked at the picture. "My mom." He replied. He held his hand out and Leo finally gave him the book. "She gave me the book a few weeks before she died. Told me she saw potential in me and when I felt angry, I should sit and try to draw. Said that was a way to direct my anger into doing something constructive." Raph let out a sad sigh. "I almost threw it away after she died but instead I began to draw and eventually I drew a picture of her." Raph turned back to his desk and flipped the sketch pad back to his last drawing.

"You almost never talk about her." Leo said. "Why not?"

"I was only seven when she died." Raph told him. "I don't have a lot of memories of her."

Leo opened his mouth to say something but closed it when Raph opened his school book to continue studying, his way of telling Leo he no longer wanted to talk about it. Leo picked up the tray of empty dishes and walked out the room.

"Do you guys remember much about your mom?" Leo asked Raph's brothers when he entered the kitchen to put the dishes away.

"I remember a little bit about her." Don replied. "Why?"

"Raph won't tell me anything about her." Leo said. "I've told him about my mom dozen of times but when it comes to your mom, he barely says a word about her."

"Well, we were only seven when she passed away." Don reminded him.

"I know." Leo said. "But I feel like he's keeping things hidden from me again." He sat down at the kitchen table and watched while Mikey took freshly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven and Donnie worked on his laptop.

"I doubt he's keeping things from you Leo." Don said. "For Raph it's always been hard for him to open up about stuff."

"And he and mom were really close." Mikey said, turning to Leo. "She was the only one who could calm him down when he threw his tantrums." He put a cookie in his mouth. "You just have to give him some time."

"Raphael has always had a hard time speaking of his mother." Splinter said, walking into the kitchen. "When she passed away, he stayed in his room for days not wanting to even come out and eat." Splinter sighed as the memories came back to him. "When he finally did come out, I made arrangements for us to see a councilor, but it did not do any good…for him anyway."

"Yeah." Donnie got a far away look in his eyes. "I remember some things about her." He suddenly smiled. "I remember her laugh. It was so infectious." He looked at Leo, laughing. "When she laughed, everyone would join in, no one could stay upset or angry when she would laugh."

"I remember her food." Mikey said. "She was a great cook." He put a plate of freshly made cookies on the table. "Always had yummies for us to eat." He laughed "Remember Donnie."

"I remember the cakes she made for our birthdays and the parties she would throw." He said. "Always went all out with the decorations."

"Is that why you guys love to throw parties and decorate so much?" Leo asked.

"Ah yes." Splinter smiled at him. "Shen was always into large parties. She would plan everything." He got up to make some tea. "When I first started the dojo, she would host parties for people to come and get to know us." He gave a sly smile. "I think most came for her food but I got many of my students because of her." Splinter gave a light chuckle, then his face sadden slightly. "Many of them miss her very much."

"Yeah." Mikey said, looking down sadly. "Me too."

"And me." Donnie chimed in.

"I'm sorry if I brought up some sad memories." Leo told them. "I was just wanting to know why Raph won't talk about her." He smiled at them. "But thank you for sharing your memories of her with me."

"Maybe next time I'll join in." Raph's voice sounded from behind them.

"That would be a good idea my son." Splinter got up and walked over to him. He placed his paw on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It is always nice to speak about your mother. I miss hearing us talk about her."

Raph gave him a smile and sat next to Leo. "She was a good artist." He told him. "I remember some of the pictures she would draw for us." The rest of the family gathered around the table and shared stories about Shen Hamato while encouraging Leo to talk about his mother.

For the rest of the evening, the five mutants talked and laughed while enjoying tea and cookies, and shared their favorite memories of Shen and Venus. Leo watched Raph as he laughed long and hard. For him, it was a wonderful sound to hear.

The following Sunday was Mother's day so Raph escorted Leo to his mother's grave where he laid a fresh bouquet of flowers for both her and his aunt. He turned to look at Raph.

"Ready to visit your mom now?" Raph nodded. They got on his motorcycle and drove to the spot where the rest of the Hamato clan was waiting.

This time, Leo escorted Raph to his mom's grave. "Mom." Raph put a bouquet of flowers next to the Don and Mike's. "I'm sorry it's been so long since we've been here." Raph said as he took a deep breath and stood up. "I want you to know, I'm happy, and I found someone who I know you would love." He took Leo's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "This is Leonardo Tartaruga." He said. "And after I'm done with school, (I'm going to be a veterinarian's assistant), we're going to get married." He and Leo smiled at each other lovingly. "Your always in my heart mom." Raph swallowed hard. "I love you, and I miss you so much."

As Leo stood next to Raph, he looked over to the side of the gravestone and noticed a smaller stone with the name Miwa on it. He realized it was very close to where Shen's stone was and wondered if the fresh flowers were placed by one of the Hamatos, but he decided not to say anything.

Raph looked at him and they made their way to the rest of the family. The five walked together back to their vehicles and Splinter suggested going out to dinner to celebrate their mothers' memories. As they walked, Raph gave Leo's hand a squeeze. "You know babe." He said with a hint of mischief. "I think I like to take up sketching again."

"Oh yeah." Leo smiled at him. "Did you have something specific in mind?"

"Yeah." Raph said leering at him. "How bout you pose for me 'au natural'?" Raph wiggled his eyes at him.

"How bout I at least wear a hat?"

"Just a hat?"

Leo giggled. "How bout a hat with a cigar?"

"Now why would you want a hat and a cigar?" Raph asked curiously.

"Well, I don't want to be completely naked." Leo laughed as they walked up to the bike.

Before getting onto Raph's bike, Raph brought Leo into a hug. "Thank you." He whispered in his ear.

Leo nuzzled his head into his neck. "I love you."


	3. Chapter 3 Friends and Foes

Ch 3 Friends and Foes.

"AH YEAH!" Raph yelled as he ran into the house. He grabbed a hold of Leo exuberantly and brought him into a hug. "School is over for the summer and I've aced all my test!" Leo laughed as Raph swung him around. "Let's go out and celebrate!"

"That is a wonderful idea Raphael." Splinter said, walking out of the dojo. The last class had just ended and he and Leo were about to go into the kitchen and have their usual daily tea. "If I may join you, I would like to pay for the dinner."

Raphael smiled at his father. "That would be great Sensei." He said. "I would be honored to have you come with us."

"It would be great, but I'm suppose to meet Donnie at TCRI and get my blood checked." Leo reminded him.

For the past four months, since Leo's father had injected him with a type of enhancing drug, he had been seeing Dr. Tyler Rockwell to verify if the injection was doing anything to his system. So far, there had been no change and Leo was feeling fine. But Rockwell had insisted on Leo being checked once a month to keep an eye on things and verify the drug did not affect Leo in the future. .

On these day, Leo would take the train to TCRI and meet Don in his new lab. Now that Dr. Stockman was in jail and no longer working at the research facility, Don had been promoted to take his place and was staying at the lab longer. He would meet Leo and after, the two would ride the train home together.

"Mikey and Renet will be here soon." Leo said. "Why don't we wait for them and all go out to dinner together?" Leo grabbed his wallet. "It will be my treat." He suggested, deciding it wasn't fair for Splinter to pay for the others since he had suggested it.

"Nonsense Leonardo." Splinter gave him a look of determination. "I would be happy to treat everyone."

"Then let's go!" Mikey's voice sounded out at the front door. They turned to see Mikey and Renet walking into the house.

"Mikey!" Renet giggled. "Can't you say hi first."

"Oh, sorry everyone." He looked at the others sheepishly. "Hi." He greeted them with a wave, then he smiled. "OK! Let's go!" They all laughed and Raph drove the family's SUV to TCRI. An hour later, Donnie and Leo piled into the car and the family drove to Murakami's Japanese Restaurant.

Upon hearing the news, Mr. Murakami, a long time friend of the Hamatos, gave a large free plate of egg rolls in celebration. While they ate and celebrated, Raph's phone went off. He pulled out his cell phone and smiled broadly. "It's Casey!" He announced. The table quieted while Raph took the call.

"Yo Casey. What's up, how ya been?" He answered. He was silent for a few minutes but the look of excitement on his face was clear as he listened to his friend speak. "No Way!" He yelled excitedly. "That is so cool!" He listened quietly as the voice on the other end spoke and the others saw his face fall slightly. "Ah yeah, no problem. Everyone's here anyway, we're celebrating my being done with school and acing my finals." He listened a few more minutes. "Okay Case. Talk to ya later."

Raph turned to the others. "Case and April will be here in New York in a week. Their getting married at the end of the month and April is transferring to NYU, now they'll be here permanently!" The family agreed this was good news.

"Now I'll finally get to meet your friend." Leo told Raph with a smile.

"Oh and the best part is, he wants me, Don and Mike to be his groomsmen." Raph told them.

Mikey looked excited while Don looked hesitant. "Yeah, that's great Raph but did he say who will be the bridesmaids?"

At this time, Raph turned to Renet. "April will be calling you later tonight Renet to ask you, but you are one, Casey's sister Angel is another." Now he looked down at his food hesitantly. "And Mona is the other."

At this news, the table fell into an awkward silence. "Do they know how the order will go?" Renet asked. Anything to break the tension.

"Well." Raph said. "Mona is still April's best friend so she will be maid-of-honor." He looked at Leo and took a deep breath. "And I'll be Casey's best man." He watched as Leo's eyes frowned but Leo said nothing so Raph continued. "Don, you'll be second and Mikey will be last." He looked at the two of them as Donnie gave a look of relief. "And Don, you'll be paired with Angel and Mikey with Renet." That last part made Renet and Mikey giggle and lean into each other.

Raph turned to look at Leo. "Are you okay with this babe?"

"Guess I'll have to be." Leo told him. Then gave him a mock glare. "I'm assuming I'm invited as your guest right?" Raph smiled nervously at him and nodded. "Good, then I can keep an eye on you." He said and laughed as he nudged Raph with his elbow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo stood next to Master Splinter and watched as a beautiful red haired blue-eyed girl of about twenty years old, and dressed in a long flowing white wedding gown walked beside an older gentleman with a red beard and a slightly balding head dressed in a tuxedo. In front of Leo was a row of other people and just in front of them was Raph and his brothers dressed in formal tuxedos and standing next to Raph was a boy of about twenty-one years old. Casey smiled a gap tooth smile and watched in anticipation as the young girl walked closer to him, smiling as she neared him.

Eventually, April made her way to stand next to Casey and her father gave her a kiss before sitting down. Next to her, Mona, who was dressed in a beautiful flowing yellow gown, concentrated hard on looking away from Raph throughout the entire ceremony. Next to her, was a young girl, also dressed in a matching yellow gown, she had long dark hair with purple streaks on the side, she had a petite frame and could've been the splitting image of Casey but she had all her teeth. Leo assumed this was Angel, and next to Angel was Renet, also dressed in a matching yellow gown.

As the wedding of Casey Jones and April O'Neil proceeded, Leo couldn't help but notice that Don was looking rather downcast. Mona stared at the couple and performed her maid of honor duties and once it was over. Mona and Raph walked arm in arm, smiling cordially at the guest but keeping their eyes averted from each other. As Raph walked past Leo, he gave him a wink and Leo smiled at him, he was certain he was blushing as he watched Raph walk by.

"Let's get married now Raph." Leo said, as they danced across the grassy dance floor outside of the O'Neil farm house.

"You serious babe?" Raph raised his eye ridges when Leo nodded. "Why now?"

"Why not now?" Leo questioned back. "We have everything we need now. Friends, family, a preacher." He looked at Raph with anticipation. "And we're both wearing tuxedos, what more do we need."

Raph gave Leo a dubious look. "Leo, I would love to marry you now but.." Raph looked around at all the people that were laughing and have a wonderful time toasting April and Casey. "Wouldn't it be unfair to Casey and April?" Leo looked down at the grass and stopped dancing. "Hey." Raph put his finger under Leo's chin and made him look up at him. "What is this really about?"

"I don't know." Leo told. "I guess….they just look so happy and I guess." Leo looked from Don to Mona. "I'm just afraid something is going to happen and we'll…."Leo stopped speaking and looked back at Raph. "I'm just afraid I'm going to lose you." He whispered.

"That is never going to happen." Raph assured him. He brought him into a hug and kissed him deeply. "If I could take my wedding vows now, I would promise you that no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you." Leo hugged Raph back. "I promise that too." He whispered.

Raph leaned his head against Leo's shoulder and wondered if there was something more he was not telling him. He knew Leo had been having nightmares but Leo had yet to tell him what they were about, so he had decided not to push him to talk about it. Raph noticed Leo kept glancing over at Donnie. "Does this have something to do with Don?" He wondered.

"He seems so sad. I wonder if he is more upset over Mona than he's letting on."

"This has nothing to do with Mona." Raph told him. Leo blinked at him in surprise. "Don has always had a thing for April."

"Really." Leo looked from Don to April. "Did they date?"

"Nah." Raph replied. "Before Casey came into the picture, Don and Ape always hung out together and although April made it clear they were just friends, Don always hoped there could be something more."

"Oh." Leo nodded and laid his head on Raph's shoulder till the song was over, his eyes wondering from Don to April.

He frowned slightly when he saw Mona make her way over to him. Don stood up and gestured for her to take a chair. They talked for several minutes before Leo saw her stand up and give Donnie a light kiss on the cheek then make her way over to the wedding party table where she began to eat her supper.

After Leo and Raph were done dancing, Leo made his way over to Don who was sitting by himself and watching as April and Casey were cutting the wedding cake. "How's it going Don?" He asked.

"It's good." Don replied with a small, sad sigh.

"You sure?" Leo asked. "Cause you seem rather upset." He turned to look at him. "Does this have something to do with Mona." Even though he already knew the answer, he didn't want Don to think he and Raph had been gossiping about him.

"No. Not really." Don's voice sounded so far away.

"If you ever want to talk Don." Leo said turning to look at Mikey and Renet who were still on the dance floor and had been for the last several songs. "I have an ear."

"Thanks Leo" Don began. "But…."

"Donnie!" Both boys turned to see Casey's sister Angel making her way over to them. "Would you care to dance with me." She asked. "You only danced with me once and that didn't count since it was for the wedding party song." Before Don could answer, Angel grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.

Leo smiled broadly as he watched Don dance nervously with her. His eyes then roamed over the wedding guest and landed on Raph who was over by the banquet table. He was suppose to be getting them some wedding cake but now he stood talking to Mona. Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously as she turned from him and made her way over to Leo.

He stood up and watched her make her way over to him, keeping his anger in check as she stood in front of him and glared at him with a determined look. "Do you love him.?" She demanded, rather hotly."

"What?" Leo asked, uncertain if he heard her right.

"Do. You. Love him?" She asked again, her words curt and direct.

"Very much." Leo replied, his voice just as strong and direct.

"Good." Mona said and turned to look at Raph who was standing a few feet away looking uncertain at the exchange between them. "Take care of him." Mona said looking back at Leo. "Because if I find out that you've hurt him in any way, I'm going to hunt you down and hurt you ten fold." With that, Mona walked away and over to April and Casey. She spoke to them for a brief moment before walking toward the house where the guests had parked their cars. She got into hers and left to go home.

Leo shook his head as if coming out of a daze. Raph walked up to him and put his hands on his shoulders as they watched her drive away. Leo then turned to Raph and smiled. "How about the Saturday around July 18?" He suggested.

Raph slowly moved his eyes from where Mona had just been to Leo. "Huh?" He muttered. "What Leo?"

"How about the Saturday around July 18?" He repeated.

"For what?" Raph asked.

"For our wedding date." Leo smiled at him.

"This July 18th?" Raph asked incredulously.

"No." Leo said laughing. "Next year."

"I thought we were going to wait two years?" Raph asked.

"I know, but we can make it on my money till your internship at the veterinary clinic is up and you get a permanent job." Leo told him putting his arms around Raph's neck.

"Humm, the Saturday around July 18." Raph tapped his chin as he thought about it."That would be the day we met." Raph suddenly smiled. "Yeah, I like that." He looked at Leo with shinning eyes. "Okay. The Saturday around the 18th it is."

"What is?" Mikey asked, walking up to them with Renet.

"Can I tell them?" Leo asked anxiously. Raph smiled and nodded. "We decided to have our wedding next year the Saturday closest to July 18." He told them.

"Wonderful." Renet said and hugged them both.

"Did I hear correctly?" Splinter said coming up to them with Don and Angel."You have set a date for your wedding."

"Yes father." Raph answered. "Next year, either July 18th or the Saturday following it."

Splinter looked uncertain at the two turtles until Leo explained his idea. He smiled at his son and future son-in-law. "Very well my sons." He told them. "I look forward to the day."

Don pulled out his cell phone and began looking through it. "July 18th is a Tuesday so that would make it Saturday July 22nd. " He announced.

Raph and Leo smiled at each other. "Okay." Raph said. "It's a date."

The family cheered as April and Casey made their way over. The couple congratulated them upon hearing the news and everyone gathered for the tossing of the bouquet and garter. Eventually, the couple made their rounds to each guests, thanking them for coming and then went into the house to change into travel clothes. They came out and the guest threw bird seed as they watched them drive off in their car, decorated front to back with wedding wishes and pictures, waving goodbye and wishing them a safe and fun trip.

Raph wrapped his arms around Leo's waist from behind. "That will be us soon." He told him.

Leo nodded and smiled. "Can't wait." He said, turning his head toward Raph to give him a kiss on the cheek.

They stood with the rest of the family, smiling and waving as they watched the car ride off toward the highway and onto a new life.


	4. Chapter 4 Deadly Plans

Ch 4 Deadly Plans.

Jeffrey Moore sat crouched by his window of his tiny studio apartment above the market place directly across from the Hamato Dojo. He pulled his camera out and once again began taking pictures, watching as Raphael came out and placed two different types of bags in the back of his truck. His angry brown eyes narrowed as he watched Leonardo come out and place another bag next to Raph's bags.

He eyes narrowed when he saw the two turtles walk over toward the house again, wondering once again what they were up to. For the past six months, since he came out from LA, he had been keeping a close watch on the young turtle. Following him and his turtle lover as they walked from their home to movie theaters, restaurants, beaches and the amusement park. More then once, he had come very close to attempting to grab him and drag him off to the love nest he was preparing for him, but it still was not ready. It angered him to see the turtle so happy without him, but soon, he kept telling himself, soon he would be done with his little hide away and he would find a way to take Leonardo away from this…Raphael…and make him realize how much happier he would be with him.

As he seethed in anger, he continued taking pictures and watched as one by one, the large brown rat and two other turtles came out of the house and hugged Raph and Leo.

"Where are you going my little runaway." He mused as Raph and Leo climbed into the truck and drove off. He opened the window and listened intently.

"Have a good time." The freckled faced turtle called out, waving his arms at the truck. "See you on Sunday."

Jeffrey closed his window and sat on his bed. He punched the pillow and scowled angrily. "What are you doing Leonardo?" He demanded out loud. "How dare you run off with that with piece of filth." He kicked the dresser and was just about to punch the wall when he stopped himself and took a deep calming breath. "It doesn't matter." He said. "You will be back on Sunday and I'll continue to watch you." He reached over his bed to the little nightstand and opened it up. He smiled upon seeing the black .45 laying in the drawer. "Maybe I'll even have a little surprise for your boyfriend." He sneered, closing the drawer.

He walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Inside was a map that showed woods with hiking trails and various structures throughout the map. "I have to go back to our little love nest and continue preparing it." He said to himself with a smile. "Soon, my plans will be complete and I'll be able to bring you up there and we'll have a new life of our own to live." He looked over the map and nodded before putting it back into the drawer. He then laid on his bed and decided to take a nap before leaving later that night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Look at the stars Raph." Leo said as he leaned against a tree and stared up at the moonlit sky. "Aren't they beautiful. There's so many of them and they seem so big and close, sometimes I feel like I could just reach up and grab one." He gave a light chuckle.

Raph sat next to him and handed him a roasted hot dog on a stick. "I would prefer they stay up there." He told him as he leaned next to him against the tree and stared up at the sky.

"Why?" Leo asked, cocking his head to the side as he considered the endless dark sky.

Raph looked at Leo lovingly. "Because you don't mess with things that are beautiful." He said and turned Leo's head toward his and gave him a deep and passionate kiss.

They ate their hot dogs in silence and then roasted marshmallows for S'mores. They were on Cadillac Mountain of Acadia National park, celebrating Leo's nineteenth birthday. They had found a secluded spot in the campground to enjoy the sunrise. Something they had been doing for Leo's birthday since Leo and Raph came back to New York, and something they decided they would continue to do.

As they had done before, they would arrive late Friday night and set up their tent which included one sleeping bag. They would stay up all night and watch the sunrise as this was the only place on the east coast where the sunrise could first be seen at around three or four in the morning. Then afterwards, they would go hiking or swimming. It didn't matter as long as they were together. This was their alone time, and they enjoyed every minute of just being with each other.

"I love watching the sunrise over the mountain." Raph told Leo as the sun began to peak over the horizon, casting a purple and orange glow in the dawning sky. Leo put his arms around Raph and they leaned back against a big rock on the top of Cadillac Mountain. As always, the top of the mountain was cold in the early morning and the two turtles had bundled up and brought a big thermos full of hot chocolate.

Near them, several tourist had also gathered to watch the beautiful sight and take pictures of the dawning sky. They talked excitedly and huddled under warm blankets. Leo looked around, still feeling like they were being watched. But he kept his fears to himself and hugged Raph tightly as the brilliant hue of sunshine rose above them.

"Are you enjoying yourself babe?" Raph asked, looking up at Leo with a contented smile on his face.

Leo looked down at him with a loving gaze. "As long as I'm with you, I'm always happy." He told him. He bent down and they pressed their lips together tenderly. They leaned into each other as the sun continued to rise over the mountain and shine bright in the morning sky.

***LEMON***

Raph leaned his head back and spread his legs wider to allow Leo more access to his entrance. He smiled at the tender way Leo would gently take him. Thrusting inside slowly and steadily, almost as though he was still afraid to hurt him. Although they had been lovers for over a year, Leo was still feeling uncertain of what he was doing.

But Raph encouraged him to take his time and feel his way. He loved Leo's hands caressing his body, running and exploring every inch of muscle along his arms and legs. Gently pumping his cock as Leo's hard cock struck against his prostrate making him churr and moan in response. Raph felt his breath hitch as Leo's mouth ghosted over his neck and down along the top of his plastron. He looked up to see Leo sit back up and lean his head slightly back as he continued to thrust gently. His mouth was opened and he was breathing hard. Churrs and moans could be heard and Raph was happy to see Leo was loving every moment of their love making.

"Oh yeah Leo." Raph moaned as he felt himself climaxing. "Oh yeah, right there. That feels so good." They entwined their hands and Leo laid down on top and pressed his lips on Raph's. He groaned into his mouth as he felt himself get longer and harder. Finally spilling his seed inside Raph's body.

He laid on top of him, sweat pouring down their bodies and Raph's legs wrapped around Leo's middle. "You gotta top more often." Raph whispered to him.

"I don't mind taking turns." Leo whispered back, smiling. Raph smiled up at him and rolled him over so he was now on top. They kissed deeply and hungrily as Leo pulled himself out and Raph began pumping himself to get hard so they can start up again.

***END OF LEMON***

Several minutes later, Raph rolled off Leo and they wrapped themselves in each other's arms. "What would you like to do?" Raph asked.

"Nap." Leo said with a small chuckle.

Raph giggled back and nuzzled Leo's beak. "After?"

"Hike maybe?"

"Sounds like a good plan." Raph said. He watched as Leo yawned and slowly closed his eyes. "I love you." He whispered to him as he let out his own yawn.

Leo smiled sleepily at him. "I love you too." They tightened their hold on each other and fell into a deep sleep.

It was late morning and they decided to sleep into the afternoon. They started off on their hike and walked to a beautiful river where they skipped stones and swam for several minutes, holding each other in the water, kissing, splashing, laughing and just having fun. After their hike, they had supper and made love a few more times before staying up to watch the sunrise again. It was now Sunday and they would be returning home.

"I wish we didn't have to leave this place." Leo said as Raph drove them out of the park.

"I know, but we'll be back next year." Raph replied as he drove the truck down the mountain and toward home. Leo took hold of Raph's hand and brought it to his lips, kissing his knuckles tenderly.

"By this time next year we'll be married." He reminded him.

"A new start in life." Raph said happily."Can't wait."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeffrey Moore looked out his window at the sound of a truck coming down the street. He smiled when he saw Leo getting out of the truck. He quickly reached over to the little nightstand by his bed and pulled out the gun. He pointed it out the window, watching and waiting with bated breath. He waited for Raph to get out of the driver side and, along with Leo, make his way to the back of the truck where their bags were kept. Jeffrey squinted his eyes and steadied his hand, watching the two turtles talk, laugh and pull their things out of the truck. He aimed the gun at Raph's head and, very slowly and very carefully, pushed his index finger against the trigger. He began to slowly squeezed the trigger back and smiled as he watched the hammer pull back slowly. Sweat poured down his forehead and he felt his heart pound in his chest as he watched the hammer began to move forward as the trigger reached the back of the trigger hold. His eyes widen as the he watched the hammer hit hard against the recoil plate. His muscles tightened and his jaw clenched as the gun made a sudden loud…click.

"Hehehehe." Jeffrey laughed low and dark. "Next time turtle." He sneered as he watched the two walk into the house. "It won't be empty."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you to Dessiree26flores for your reviews. I love reading them so please keep them coming. This was my first attempt at having Leo top Raph, nothing I'm use to so please let me know what you think. I can always try again. I do prefer Leo being the more submissive one but I did this as a favor to one of my readers Christina.


	5. Chapter 5 Wedding Plans

Ch 5 Wedding Plans

"Ah Yeah! Happy New Year Everyone!" Mikey yelled out. The dojo was in full swing as the Hamato clan, along with friends, family and students gathered round to celebrate the coming of the New Year.

Splinter smiled happily as he watched all his guest enjoying themselves, dancing and talking as the party began and lasted long into the night. He stood next to his small shrine and kept a close eye on the door. He wasn't expecting trouble but after what happened last time, he tended to be more guarded, more so now then before.

To his right, where the little shrine stood, was a small picture of his beloved wife. "Look at them Shen." He muttered to the picture. "Our boys are growing up and looking so happy." He smiled as he watched his sons laugh and mingle with their friends.

"Look at you Casey." Raph smiled as he and Leo walked over to him and April. "Marriage really agrees with you."

"Hey yeah Raph." Casey smiled as they fist pumped each other then pulled April into a hug. "It's totally awesome. Can't picture my life without her." April giggled and playfully elbowed Casey in the ribs, pulling herself out of his grasp.

"How's the police academy coming along?" Raph asked.

"Grueling work but it's worth it." Casey replied.

"What about you Ape?" Raph asked turning to her. "Still looking to be an archaeologist?"

"Most definitely." She said smiling. "I'll be interning at the New York City museum this summer then enrolling at the University this fall." Everyone nodded at her decision as they wished her luck with her future endeavor. "So what plans have you two made regarding your wedding?" April asked.

"So far, we've got Mr. Murikame catering. We've spoken to Rev. Honeycutt about preforming the ceremony and he's all set to go on that." Leo used his fingers to count on as he went through the list. "We got a photographer and Raph's brothers will be our witnesses. One on each side." He informed them. Now he looked up at April rather hesitantly. "We just need a place to have it at and…well…we were wondering if maybe." Leo took a deep breath as Raph placed his hands on his shoulders to give him that extra bit of encouragement to ask his question as April blinked her big blue eyes at them in curiosity. "Do you think your dad will let us have it at the farmhouse?"

"I don't see why not." She told them with a smile. "Why don't you ask him now?" She nodded behind them. Leo and Raph turned to see Mr. Kirby O'Neil speaking and laughing with another older man who looked remotely like an older version of Casey and Angel, but like Angel, he too had all his teeth.

Before Leo could say anything further, April called her dad over. "Go ahead Leo." April encouraged. "Ask him."

"Ask me what?" Mr. O'Neil looked from his daughter to the others questioningly.

"Well, Mr. O'Neil." Leo looked at him again rather hesitantly. "We were wondering if…umm… maybe you'd consent…umm…to…umm..allowing Raph and I to possibly…ah…let us use your…umm…farmhouse to have our...umm…wedding at?" He looked at the red bearded man hopefully.

"Oh well, I don't know Leonardo." Kirby stroked his chin thoughtfully, watching as Leo's face fell slightly. "Do you plan on inviting me?"

Leo looked up at him with excitement in his eyes. "Of course." He told him ecstatically.

"Then of course you can." Kirby said, laughing at Leo's relieved look as they shook hands.

"Thank you Mr. O'Neil." Raph said as he, too, shook his hand.

"Looking forward to it." He told them before walking over to the banquet table.

Leo and Raph hugged each other, then turned to Casey and April.

"It's good to see Don and Angel getting along so well." April said as she looked over at the couple in the corner.

"I'm just happy Angel isn't disappointed." Casey muttered as he watched them talking excitedly about something on Angel's phone.

"What do you mean Case?" Raph asked in bewilderment.

"Angel's had a crush on Donnie since she met him back in high school." Casey explained. "But she was always too shy to approach him.."He gave a sly smile. "That's why I asked April to pair them up at the wedding. I figured it would help get her courage up and she'd finally get the nerve to talk to him." He let out a light chuckle. "Nice to see it worked."

"Yeah." Leo smiled at the two in the corner then turned his gaze elsewhere."Look who else got his nerve up to finally do something."

He nodded over to the other end of the dojo where Mikey and Renet were talking. The four of them watched as Mikey pulled a small box out of his pocket and got down on one knee. Renet started bouncing up and down and nodded excitedly as Mikey happily slipped a ring on her finger. He wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled her around.

Everyone at the party looked up as Mikey yelled out excitedly. "SHE SAID YES!" He screamed out.

Everyone clapped and congratulated the newly engaged couple. Splinter hugged his son and future daughter-in-law. "This is truly a celebration." Splinter called out."A toast to my son and his future bride."

As the dojo celebrated the news, Splinter continued to mingle happily while keeping a watchful eye on the door. His eyes narrowed when he saw a young women walk into the dojo. She stopped and looked around in wonder at the guest before turning to walk out the door.

Splinter made his way over to her. "May I help you?" He asked before she could leave.

The young girl, dressed in dark jeans and a black sweater had a look of Japanese descent Her dark brown eyes were lined with red eye liner and her dark hair had been dyed blond underneath. She turned to look at Splinter and reached her hand out to shake his paw.

"Hi." She greeted bowing when she saw Splinter. "My name is Karai…Tanaka Karai." She smiled warmly at the tall rat. "I just moved here from Japan and was told about your dojo from a friend of mine. I saw your lights were still on and thought, maybe I could speak to someone about possibly joining."

"My name is Hamato Yoshi." He bowed respectfully back to her. "We will not be open this week due to it being the holiday season." Splinter explained. "But we will be opened again next Monday." He reached behind his desk and pulled out a brochure. "You are welcome to stay and join in the festivities, we are celebrating the New Year." He told her as she took the pamphlet. "But here is a brochure that will tell you all about our prices and the times we are open as well as the different classes we offer. There is a free trial period for one week if you wish to just try it out first." He smiled at her as she listened and nodded to him.

"Thank you." She again bowed respectfully to him before looking around the large room. "It is cold outside." She told him with a gentle laugh. "If you don't mind me staying for a short time while I get warm and walk around to check the place out."

Splinter bowed back and gestured for her to come further into the dojo. She did and proceeded over to the banquet table. While she put some cheese and crackers on a plate, her eyes wandered over the guest and smiled as she spied four turtles. She opened her phone and looked at a picture. With a satisfied smile, she closed her phone and walked the dojo for a short time before deciding to leave.

Eventually, she made her way back to Splinter. "Thank you for the hospitality Hamato-san." She said, and bowed to him in respect. "I would love to join your dojo."

"Wonderful." Splinter told her. "We will see you next Monday." They bowed to each other again and Karai walked out.

She walked down the street and when she was far enough away from the dojo, opened her phone and dialed a number. "I'm in." She said into her cell. She turned off the phone and continued walking into the night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. It's good to know I'm doing a good job. Please keep them coming. Will post next chapter soon.


	6. Chapter 6 Dealing With The Past

Okay Dessiree26flores, you'll learn a little of Jeffrey Moore in this Chapter but in the last book, 'The Long Way Home', the last chapter deals with who he is.

Ch 6 Dealing With The Past

"Are you sure you want to do this now babe?" Raph asked Leo, watching Leo unlock and open the small storage unit where Leo was keeping things from both his mom's house and his aunt's apartment.

"I have to Raph." Leo told him, grunting, he pushed the doors up and stepped inside. He looked at the various size boxes with a look of sadness. There were only about a dozen boxes, but it still was overwhelming for him to look at everything that was his past. "It's going to be a year in April since we've brought these things here, and I've put it off long enough." He turned to look at Raph. "If you want to go wait in the truck, I can bring them over by myself." He made his way over to the closest box.

Raph walked with him and hugged him from behind. He nuzzled his neck which made Leo giggle. "I'll stay and help." He told him. "Besides, I'm kinda curious about some of the things that had to come back from LA with you."

He walked over to a box marked books and went through it. "Look at all the books on war and ancient Japan." He exclaimed, pulling out one book after another. "Do you want to keep them all?"

"Not sure." Leo replied absentmindedly looking through another box. "I'm going to bring them home and go through them there." He stood up and pulled out a snow globe wrapped in bubble wrap. He unwrapped it and looked at the snow globe intently. It showed the Statue of Liberty surrounded by New York City in a snowstorm. "My mom brought this out to LA with her." Raph saw the sad smile come across Leo's face as he thought back. "After my fath…Saki died, or disappeared rather, I remember her telling me that she wanted to come back here." He moved the snow globe around making the 'snow' fall.

"But you didn't." Raph pointed out. "Is it because Bradford came into the picture?"

Leo nodded and put the snow globe back in the box. He pulled out another item wrapped in bubble wrap. He carefully unwrapped it to show it was a 'Precious Moment's figurine' of a young boy and girl in dutch clothing leaning in and kissing. Each held something behind their backs, the girl had a book and the boy had a bouquet of flowers. Leo looked at the figurine and then wrapped it back up. He swallowed hard and was about to pull out another item when Raph put a hand on his hand making him stop to look up at him.

"Let's get these things back home." He told him with a tender smile. Since there were not that many boxes, Raph figured his pick-up truck would be enough. He grabbed hold of another box and looked inside in amazement. "There has got to be at least a dozen trophies in here." He exclaimed. "And what's with all these Space Hero comics?"

"Not a dozen trophies, only ten." Leo told him with a shy smile. "And Space Heroes is my favorite show. I use to want to be just like Captain Ryan, he was my hero as a little kid." He explained. Raph gave a light chuckle and continued to dig through the box.

Leo watched as Raph pulled out what looked to be a photo of someone and saw his eyes narrow. "Who is this?" Raph asked. He sounded almost jealous as he held out the picture.

Leo took it and stared in confusion at the picture. "I thought I destroyed this." He muttered. He turned away from Raph and frowned at the picture in anger. Raph stared at the picture over Leo's shoulder. It was a picture of Leo with a tall human boy of about eighteen. He had dark brown eyes and dark brown messy hair with a shaved beard. He had his arms wrapped around Leo from behind and had his head leaning on top of Leo's head. While the human smiled happily, Leo's smile was small and timid.

"Care to tell me who he is?" Raph asked, his voice had a demanding tone about it and Leo turned back to him with a look of surprise.

"If you must know." Leo shot back rather angrily at Raph's sudden attitude. "He's my ex."

"I thought you said I was your first." Raph actually sounded as though he was accusing Leo of infidelity.

Leo was taken aback by Raph's sudden attitude. "I said I never had a lover before and you WERE my first." He insisted. "I had a boyfriend before you but it never went anywhere." He quickly began to rip the picture into small pieces and shoved them into the box. "After only a month of dating, I found out he was a big-time jerk and I quickly broke it off." He roughly grabbed the box out of Raph's hands and headed out of the storage bin. "I don't even know how that got in there but now that you know, can we please keep going?" Leo walked toward the truck and put the box in the bed. He then proceeded to go back into the storage unit and continued to get more boxes. For the rest of the time, he didn't speak to Raph but instead, kept focus on his work.

When Raph attempted to help, Leo took the box from his hands before he could bring it out to the truck. He did this two more times before Raph finally put his hands on Leo to stop him. "Okay Leo." He said giving him a stern look. "I'm sorry." He said firmly. "I had no right to react the way I did." He looked at the ground in shame."It's just that the thought of you being with another guy felt… for some reason… just felt like a betrayal." He looked back up at him feeling rather confused. "Really, I…I don't know what came over me." He insisted.

Leo looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "It's okay Raph." He told him. "Just don't do it again." He told him sternly.

"I promise." They smiled and hugged then finished getting the last few boxes out of the storage bin and into the truck. As Leo climbed into the truck, he took one last look around the large yard of storage bins as something caught his eyes. 'Did I just see a flash of light in the distance?' He wondered to himself. That strange feeling of being watched came over him again and he narrowed his eyes and strained hard at the sun's light that seemed to be reflecting off of some sort of mirror or glass like substance in the distance.

"Yo Leo." Raph called out from inside the truck. "Something wrong?"

Leo looked at Raph then looked back where the light had been coming from. It was no longer there. Leo searched the area for a few seconds before finally climbing into the truck. "I thought I saw something out there." He told Raph.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure." Leo shook his head and Raph put the truck in gear and drove off.

"So what was it about this Jeffrey guy that made you realize he was a first class jerk?" Raph asked, looking at Leo rather cautiously.

Leo went into the story of how they met and how Jeffrey eventually became possessive and demanding of him and how he ended up in jail. "The big thing that should've clued me into what kind of a guy he really was, was the fact that he was a student of Bradford's." Leo said. "I think it was just another way for Chris to keep tabs on me."

Raph nodded as Leo finished telling his story. "Well, if he's in jail, then at least we know he's someone you don't have to worry about." He told him as he squeezed his hand and Leo nodded.

In the distance, Jeffrey Moore put his binoculars into their case and smiled cruelly as he watched the truck drive off. "Awww, what's the matter Leonardo?" He mocked to himself. "Not happy with the little gift I left for you?" He climbed off the roof of the storage bin he had been sitting on and stood to the side, squinting his eyes to watch the truck in the distance. "Perhaps you'll be happy with the surprise I've set up for you at our new place." He smiled evilly as he fingered the butt of the gun that he kept just inside the pocket of his jeans. "Just have to think of a way to get you alone."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With Raph's help, Leo had managed to get the boxes into the garage of the Hamato home. He began going through them one by one, slowly removing things and making two piles. One pile was to keep, which so far included all of his books, comics, trophies and his personnel belongings. The other pile were things he decided he did not want to keep. Most of it had belonged to his mother, but the more Leo thought about it, the more he realized she had received them from either Saki or Bradford, and he didn't care to keep anything that reminded him of them; and he was sure they wouldn't even care if the items got thrown out or were just given away.

His aunt's belongings were very few and Raph had retrieved mostly her pictures, knick-knacks and figurines. Since his aunt had worked at the school library she had very few books and what few were in her apartment, Raph had given them to her school on Leo's request. Everything else Leo had decided the real estate agency would take care of. With the exception of Irma's family photos, Leo decided he would get rid of everything else.

After several hours of being by himself in the garage and lost in his thoughts, Leo grabbed the empty boxes and began filling some of them back up. He would take the things he decided he did not want to keep to a consignment store and have someone sell them for him. The rest of the items he either kept in a box and stored in the garage until he and Raph got their own place, or they went up to their room to be displayed.

"Perhaps you would like your trophies displayed in the dojo?" Splinter asked him as he attempted to make room on one of the shelves for both his books and his trophies along with some of his mother's items that he had given to her over the years.

Leo smiled at his Sensei gratefully. Several minutes later, he and Splinter rearranged Splinter's trophies and awards to make room for Leo's. After they were done, they smiled at each other and Leo bowed to him. "Thank you Sensei." Leo said as he straightened up.

"You are welcome my son." He smiled at him and bowed in return. "I was thinking of making some tea." He told him. "Would you care to join me?"

"Tea would be great right now." Leo said and followed him out of the dojo and into the kitchen. "Where are Raph and the others?" He looked around the house and realized he had not seen them since he and Raph had returned home.

"Michelangelo left with Renet to look at wedding rings." Splinter walked over to the stove and began to heat up the tea kettle. "Donatello is on a date with Angel and Raphael is visiting April and Casey." Leo saw a smile play over Splinter's lips.

"He went to visit friends and didn't invite me?" Leo asked, his eye ridges raising.

"He knew you were very busy and did not want to disturb you." Splinter told him. He poured two cups of tea and placed one in front of Leo.

"I was hoping to have some time with you alone anyway." Splinter told him, taking a seat directly across from him. "It seems the only time we see each other now is strictly at work."

"Well, I have been a lot more busy then normal." Leo pointed out.

"Yes, this is true." Splinter took a sip of his tea. "And it is beginning to show." Leo looked at Splinter in surprise.

"Excuse me Sensei?" He asked.

"You look tired and worn." Splinter pointed out. "How are you feeling?"

Leo sighed and looked down at his tea. The nightmares have been more frequent and sleep had been difficult for him. He would go to bed with Raph at a decent hour, sleep for a short time before being jolted awake by one of his nightmares and stay awake almost for the rest of the night.

He looked back at Splinter and smiled at the gentle rat. "I'm doing okay." He told him, mentally crossing his fingers as he told the lie. "There is just a lot on my mind, like the wedding and other things." He gave a nervous chuckle and a shrug of his shoulders.

Splinter looked at Leo quizzically. "Has there been any information from Dr. Rockwell regarding your blood test?"

"So far there's still nothing but he's still concerned." Leo told him. "Frankly, I think everything is okay. He wants to continue to see me but only every other month instead of once a month since it's been over a year and nothing has happened…yet." He took a breath and finished his tea. He then stretched and yawned. "I think I'll go take a nap, it has been a long day."

He was just about to stand up when Splinter put a paw on his arm. "Leonardo, we are your family." He told him. "If there is something you need to talk about, do not hesitate to come to one of us." He looked at Leo with a fatherly gaze. "We will always have an ear for you….as well as a shoulder."

They smiled at each other and Leo nodded. "Thank you Sensei." He said and walked out the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7 Only In Your Dreams

Ch 7 Only In Your Dreams

"LEO! LEO!" Raph grabbed Leo's shoulders and shook him awake. "Wake up, your having another nightmare!"

Leo's eyes shot opened and he stared horrified at Raph. He grabbed him in a fierce hug and cried uncontrollably, the images of the nightmare still playing over and over in his mind.

"Oh God Raph!" Leo cried out as he buried his face into Raph's plastron and cried hard, the tears flowing along his cheeks wetting Raph's chest. "You're still here." Leo sobbed. "You're haven't gone anywhere."

"It's okay Leo." Raph soothe, running his hand up and down Leo's shell trying to calm him down. "I'm right here, it's okay."

He looked up as their door opened and his Sensei and brothers filed into the room looking concern over the screams coming from inside.

"Is everything alright Raphael?" Splinter asked, coming closer to their bed.

"I'm not sure Sensei." Raph replied, still trying to calm down Leonardo.

Leo hiccuped and shook hard as he slightly moved himself away from Raph's chest. He looked up at the others, trying hard to control himself. "I'm sssorry everyone." He stuttered. "I…I don't know what came over me."

"Leo." Raph made Leo look up at him. "We know you've been having nightmares for almost a year now."

"Yeah bro." Mikey sat on the bed next to Leo. "Open up and talk to us."

"We're all here for you Leo." Donnie said, as he too moved closer to the bed. "Tell us what the nightmares are about."

Leo looked away from the family in shame. "I'm so sorry." He said as he finally calmed himself. "I didn't realized I've been disturbing you all with my foolish…."

"Don't Leo." Raph said, his eyes hard. "Don't go telling us that your some kind of burden and your problems mean nothing to us." His eyes soften and he rubbed his cheek gently. "I…we love you." He motioned to his family "And we want to help you so please, talk to us…tell us what's going on." He pleaded

Leo took a deep breath and his shoulders sagged in defeat. "Your right Raph." He told him. He looked around at the rest of them and shook his head. "I've been trying so hard to deal with everything by myself, I've got to start remembering you're all family and I can come to you with my problems."

"Come, let us go down to the kitchen for some tea and then Leonardo can tell us what has been upsetting him." Splinter told them. They followed him down to the kitchen and while Splinter made the tea, Leonardo sat by Raph and took a deep breath. He smiled when Splinter placed the small cup full of the calm smelling liquid in front of him and began his story.

"It always starts out the same way." Leo began. "I'm fighting Saki and he dies, just like it happened so many months ago. But then things change." Leo got a far away look in his eyes as the dream came back to haunt him. "I'm at the cemetery looking at my mom's grave and I look up and he's in front of me. Staring at me, mocking me, reminding me how much of a disappointment I am to him and how much he hates me." Leo looked down at the cup of tea in his hands and the others saw a tear escape his eyes.

Splinter put a paw on his shoulder. "You have never been a disappointment to anyone Leonardo." He told him. "We are all very proud of you." He forced Leo's head up to look at him "And I know your mother is as well."

Leo wiped the tears from his face and smiled at him.. "Thank you Sensei." He told him, sniffling. "Anyway." Leo said continuing. "Usually in the dream, after Saki is done speaking to me, I'm usually running through the woods trying to get away from someone. But I can never see his face. But this time..." Leo took a breath and stared at Raph. "In this dream…."Leo swallowed hard.

"Go on Leo." Raph urged. "What happened in this dream."

"Instead of running through the woods, we're at our wedding." Leo's began to breathe heavily. "We all look so beautiful. We're in our tuxedos and we're happy. I turn to look at Rev. Honeycutt and when I turn back." Leo's began to shake and he grabbed Raph's hand hard. "You and everyone else is no longer there."

"What happened to us Leo?" Mikey asked anxiously. "Did you dream we got taken by aliens and beamed up to their ship and... ow." Mikey looked at Raph and rubbed his head.

"I don't know what happened to you guys Mikey."Leo told him. "I'm now at the cemetery and in front of me is a tombstone." He looked at Raph with a wide eyed frightful look. "Your tombstone...and...and it shows you're death as being on July 14!" He cried out. "The same day as my mother but it's your tombstone Raph!" Leo began to sob again as he continued. "In the dream, I look like I'm alone in the cemetery but then I turn around and see this person dressed in black just standing behind me, just staring at me!" Leo grabbed at Raph's hands desperately and held them tight. "Oh God Raph!" He yelled. "I'm so scared I'm going to lose you!"

Everyone quickly gathered around Leo and brought him into a hug. "You are NOT going to lose me Leo." Raph said vehemently as he and his brothers pulled Leo into a fierce hug. "In less then two months, you and I will be married and we will be together for years and years and years to come!" He told him.

Leo looked at him with red rimmed eyes. "Oh Raph." He whispered. "I want to believe that so bad."

"We'll make sure Raph will be okay." Donnie told him, they each pulled away from him and looked at Raph. "We all can pitch in and make sure Raph's gets to work and home okay and…."

"Donnie can get him one of those bullet-proof vest." Mikey interrupted excitedly. "Oh…or put him in one of those really big balls that he can run in or maybe...ow!" Mikey rubbed the spot where Raph hit his head again.

"Now your just getting ridiculous Mikey." Donnie told him, rolling his eyes. He turned back to Leo. "We can stay by Raph's side til the wedding." He told him. "You'll have nothing to worry about." Leo smiled at him but the frown on Raph's face had Leo worried.

"Look everyone." Raph said standing up. "As much as I appreciate you trying to help Leo get over this nightmare." He gave everyone a stern look. "There is no need for you to be on a constant guard around me." He looked at Leo. "Everything will be fine when you realize that these nightmares are nothing more then you not being able to come to terms with what happened between you and your father." He knelt in front of him. "You need to let it go and get past what he did to you." He pleaded. "If you would just come to terms with it, these nightmares would end."

Leo hung his head and wiped his eyes. "You're probably right Raph." He admitted. "I'm sorry I woke everyone up." He stood up and went to leave the kitchen. "Let's all go back to bed." He took a deep sigh and left.

Raph let out an annoyed huff and followed Leo up the stairs. Mikey, Donnie and Splinter watched them leave and then looked at each other, worry clouding over their faces.

"What do you think Master Splinter?" Mikey asked him.

Splinter stroked his long thin beard. "Some believe that dreams are visions of things to come." He turned to his two younger sons and nodded. "Perhaps we should find a way to guard Raphael so we may keep him safe." Splinter turned to leave the kitchen. "I too am sensing something dire on the horizon."

The other two turtles looked at each other, worry etched across their foreheads. They nodded and walked up stairs to go back to bed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo walked into their bedroom and watched as Raph massaged his temples. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath before going back to his book. It was the last week of school and Raph was working hard on his finals. He had to keep his grade above a 3.5 average if the Veterinarian clinic would take him on and give him the job he wanted. There was one more class and he would be done. And this class was the toughest.

"I think you need a break." Leo told him. He walked up behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

Raph shook his head. "No, I'm just having a hard time remembering this last bit of information." He looked back down at the biology book and read. A few seconds later, he slammed his fist on the desk in frustration. "Ughh!" He yelled out."Why can't I get this?"

Leo pulled Raph's chair away from the desk and walked around to the front of him. He straddled his lap and sat down. "You need a break." He told him, more sternly. He leaned his head close to Raph's and pressed their lips together. He churred loudly into Raph's mouth as they kissed deeply and hungrily. Eventually pulling away and pulling his t-shirt above his head to take it off before pulling Raph's off his body. He then brought their lips together and they continued to kiss.

xxxxxxLEMONxxxxxx

Raph felt his body begin to relax and a growing bulge inside the lower region of his plastron began to form. He put his arms around the lower part of Leo's shell and very easily stood up and walked them over to the bed. He laid them down and began to rock back and forth on top of his mate, forcing his shorts and undershorts down his legs and kicking them off.

They kept the kiss going as Leo removed his pants and shorts as well. Their churrs continued to mingle as Leo wrapped his legs around Raph's middle. He broke the kiss and reached over into their nightstand and pulled out a rather large bottle of lube.

"I'll top." Leo said. He was just about to open the bottle when Raph took it from him.

"Uh uh." He said as he sat up and and quickly began lubing Leo's entrance. He eagerly looked at Leo and he pushed his fingers into his ass. He watched Leo grimace in slight pain. They stared at each other as Raph moved his fingers inside him. Leo threw his head back and grunted as Raph roughly shoved his hard dick inside him.

"God I want this so bad." Raph told him, looking down at Leo with anxious eyes. "I've been wanting to make you scream and beg me to make love to you for so long."

Both boys had to admit, between Raph's studies and making the wedding plans, sex between them had been few and far between. So with no one in the house, they relished this time together and quickly got themselves in the mood.

Leo put his hands against the head board and panted hard. "Oh God yes Raph!" Leo cried out as Raph shoved himself hard. "I want you to hurt me!" He begged. "I want you so badly inside me!" He grunted as Raph moved himself inside and they pushed against each other. "Make me scream for you!"

Raph grabbed Leo's hips and held Leo against his groin with his hard long dick shoved as far into him as possible while Leo pushed against the headboard and kept his legs wrapped around his middle. They stared up at each other with intensity as hard rippling waves of passion swept through them.

Leo finally threw his head back hard and let out a long and very loud churr. He let his cock slip out and Raph grabbed it eagerly and began pumping him hard with one hand while his other grabbed the sheet beneath him. He continued to lean into Leo while Leo continued to hold him with his legs.

Sweat poured down their faces and bodies as both refused to relent. Raph grunted and held fast as he pumped Leo's cock erect and pre-cum began to leak out. Leo churred and panted hard as Raph's dick pressed against his prostrate and he felt his cock being played with, still he would not remove his legs.

"Scream for me Leo." Raph urged, desperate to move himself back and forth. "Let me hear you."

At first Leo attempted to stay silent, but Raph's constant movements of his hips and slight wiggling of his cock deep within him finally had him begging. "Uhhh….Raph!" Leo cried out. "Uhhh….I can't…uhhhh..Oh God!" Leo finally removed his legs from Raph's waist and they began to flail. "PLEASE MOVE!" Leo begged.

Raph grinned evilly down at Leo and began thrusting back and forth while he pumped his cock. He thrust hard and both boys loved every minute of the rough love making. Leo had tears flowing out of his eyes as he felt Raph bring him to the brink of ecstacy and pump him to completion. Raph then laid down on top of him and kissed him hungrily as he thrust deep and hard into him. Several minutes later, Raph filled Leo up with his seed and churred long and loud.

xxxxxxxxxxEND OF LEMONxxxxxxxx

Leo panted hard and laid his head back against his pillow. He could always count on Raph to make their love making extreme, and yes, he had to admit that he did love it. But he also had to admit that Raph needed this and he was willing to be his outlet. He had been feeling guilty about his nightmares having a bigger impact on Raph then even Raph was willing to admit, but now he knew and now he was determined to push away the fear and continue with the wedding plans.

"You okay?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, you?" Leo turned to look at him and saw Raph nod. "You want to get back to studying?"

"After a nap." Raph grinned at him. "You wore me out."

Leo smiled at Raph. "I'm sorry." He told him

"Nothing to be sorry about." He told him. "You always wear me out."

"No..I'm sorry I didn't confide in you earlier about my nightmares." Leo looked away from him and back at the ceiling. "I should know by now I shouldn't hide my weaknesses from you…or our family."

Raph looked at him and grinned. "Our family?" He asked him. "You're ready to accept everyone as being your family now?"

"Shouldn't I?"

"Yeah." Raph gave a light chuckle. He yawned and closed his eyes. "I just wish you had done it sooner." He moved his hand and placed it on Leo's. "And I forgive you." He said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "And…I'm sorry too."

"For what?" Leo asked in surprise.

"For not helping you out with the wedding plans."

"That is nothing to be sorry about." Leo told him sternly. "You are finishing up with school and studying hard." He rolled onto his side and leaned on his elbow to look down at him. "I want you to concentrate on school." He told him. "I don't mind taking care of the wedding plans." He laid back on the bed. "Besides, both the wedding and the honeymoon is all set to go so stop feeling guilty over it." He said. "I want it this way."

Now Raph sat up and leaned over Leo, he put his hand on Leo's face and gently stroked his cheek. "I love you." Raph said. They looked at each other and kissed tenderly before snuggling in each other's arms. "Love you too." Leo said as they both closed their eyes and let sleep take over.


	8. Chapter 8 Nightmares are Real

Ch 8 Nightmares Are Real.

Leo leaned his fevered head against the the rim of the toilet bowl and took deep steadying breaths. He had awoken feeling rather nauseated and shortly after, found himself vomiting into the toilet. He moaned tiredly as he attempted to stand up. 'At least Raph's already at work.' He told himself as he made his way toward the sink.

"Leo?" Leo looked up to see Mikey standing in the frame of the door. "Are you okay bro?" He looked concerned.

"I'm fine Mike." Leo told him. "I think I ate something at the amusement park yesterday that just didn't agree with me." He smiled weakly at him and turned back toward the sink. He let the water run for a few seconds getting it to a slightly warm temperature. He then rinsed his mouth and splashed his face. He turned back to Mikey after he dried his face. "See, I'm okay now." He smiled and started toward the door when Donnie appeared.

"Maybe we should contact Dr. Rockwell Leo." He suggested.

"No Donnie." Leo told him defiantly. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Leo." Donnie began. He placed his hand on his shoulder. "It could be something more."

"Donnie, I apprecia…."

"Bros, as nice as this is, I really, really, _really_ need to use the bathroom." Mikey said, his voice filled with urgency.

Don and Leo stepped out of the bathroom and allowed Mikey to go in. "Listen to me Leo." Don implored. "For all you know there maybe something going on with the drug Saki injected you with."

"I've already seen Dr. Rockwell last month and nothing showed up Don." Leo reminded him. "I've got another appointment with him next month anyway so let's just drop it."

"But Leo…."

"Donnie." Leo turned to him, his eyes pleading but his face stern. "Please….I'm okay."

Donnie sighed in defeat and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and got himself a cup of coffee, he then grabbed his newspaper and sat down to eat. A few moments later, Leo walked in behind him and went to the refrigerator. He stared inside for a few seconds before deciding breakfast was not going to be a part of his morning agenda. He grabbed the apple juice and shut the door. A few minutes later, he sat across from Donnie and drank, very slowly, a tall glass of the cold liquid.

Donnie looked up from his newspaper. "I'm not going to let this go Leo." He told him.

"Okay Donnie." Leo looked up at him from his section of the newspaper. "Can we just let it go for now if I promise to see Dr. Rockwell when I get back from my honeymoon?" Leo folded his hands and brought them up and put them beneath his chin, shaking them back and forth as he pleaded with Donnie. "Please, just for now, I'm just begging you to let it go and please don't tell Raph." He added. "Now with his new job he doesn't need the added stress."

'I don't know Leo, that's over two weeks away." He stared at him with apprehension in his eyes. "What if it gets worse?"

"Right now I'm just a little nauseated Don." Leo told him. "For all we know it could be all that fried food Raph made me eat yesterday." Leo put his hand on his stomach. "You can't tell me you feel okay after all that junk we ate?"

Donnie shrugged. "We've been going to Coney Island for the Fourth of July for fourteen years now. I'm kinda use to it." He said smiling.

Leo sighed. "Look Don, Dr. Rockwell has my blood test from last month and if anything shows up, you know he'll let us know right away." Donnie looked at Leo and nodded reluctantly. Leo could see the worry in his eyes and smiled at him. "Donnie, if it makes you feel better, I promise that if it get's worse, then I'll let Dr. Rockwell see me sooner, but for now, can we just please let this go till after my honeymoon?"

Donnie glared at Leo. "The Monday following your return from your honeymoon?" He asked raising his eyebrow. Leo nodded his head and gave a sincere smile. "And if it gets worse you'll go sooner, right?" Again Leo nodded. "Okay Leo." Donnie said as Leo sighed in relief. "But I'm holding you to your promises or I drag you there myself."

"And I'll help him." Mikey said as he came down the stairs. He had heard the last part of the conversation and now he stood before them looking both determined and confused. "What are we dragging him to D?"

Leo huffed and Don rolled his eyes. Donnie then quickly explained to Mikey his concern about the possibility of the drug Saki had injected into Leo's body and the effect it may currently be having on Leo's system.

"But Leo." Mikey looked at him with surprise. "Raph has a right to know your not feeling well, especially if it has something to do with what your da…I mean Saki…did to you."

Leo sighed and gave Mikey a pleading look. "Mikey, I know Raph should know what's going on…if something **IS** going on." He looked from one brother to another. "But Raph just started a new job and now he's talking about possibly continuing school next year to become a full-fledged vet." Leo looked excited. "I don't want what may be going on to interfere right now so can we PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE….just keep this to ourselves for now." He looked from one brother to the other. " _ **PLEASE**_." He begged again.

Mikey and Donnie looked at each other then back to Leo. "Oh, okay Leo. I suppose." Mikey said. He started to walk over to the stove but stopped and looked at Leo with a stern face. "But we mean it Leo...We'll be watching you." He pointed his two fingers from his face to Leo's then back to his, letting him know they were watching him and meaning what they said. The other two turtles chuckled and everyone went back to having breakfast. Afterwards, Leo bade them farewell and made his way to the dojo to began setting up for the day's events.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Good afternoon Leonardo." Leo looked up from his seat behind the desk and smiled at their newest, yet most advanced member to the last class of the day.

"Good afternoon Karai." He returned the greeting and bowed his head respectfully. Even though Karai had been coming for the last seven months, Leo had to admit she was much more experienced then he or his Sensei had expected. At times, he even wondered why she was there and had actually asked her, but she had just said she wanted to keep her skills up and would say nothing more.

"I see your looking over brochures for Cape Cod." She looked at him rather intrigued. "Is that where you're going for your honeymoon?"

Leo blushed slightly and nodded. "Yeah, since I've come back to the east coast, I've been wanting to go there."

"Really. Why?" She asked, looking genuinely intrigued.

"Because of the Cape's west facing beaches, it is one of the few places on the east coast where you can actually experience sunsets over the water." Leo explained. "And I thought Raph might enjoy it." He said, blushing again.

Karai smiled and nodded in understanding. She then went to the changing rooms to change into her karate gi. The class went well and since it was the last class, Leo was looking forward to ending the class, cleaning the dojo and taking a nap. He was feeling rather drained and a nap was sounding good.

"Your looking a little peaked Leo." Karai said as she was leaving the dojo. "Are you alright."

"Oh, I'm fine." He assured her. "Probably just something I ate or did yesterday."

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" She asked teasingly.

Leo gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "We went out to Coney Island Amusement Park for the Fourth of July yesterday and I think I just over did it."

"Oh, well get some rest and I hope your feeling better tomorrow." She waved as she left the dojo. "Good night."

"Good night Karai." He said, watching her go.

Leo left the dojo and made his way toward the kitchen. As he walked up the stairs, he found himself feeling somewhat nauseous again. He took deep steady breaths and made it to his room. He laid on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. A small prayer escaped his lips, praying that whatever was wrong with him would not effect his upcoming nuptials. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Splinter watched Leonardo finish teaching the last the class. After the students were dismissed, he walked over to him. "Are you alright Leonardo?" He asked. "You are looking tired."

Leo smiled tiredly at his Sensei. "I'm okay Master Splinter." He assured him. "Just need to go over last minute things."

"Is this about the wedding?"

Leo nodded. "It's a week away now and…I don't know… there's still some things I'm uncertain about" He sighed tiredly. He did not want to admit to Splinter about the strange feelings he was still dealing with or the nausea and constant vomiting that was currently plaguing him. He had been meditating in order to deal with the nightmares and although they have helped somewhat, he was still having occasional frightening dreams. But, he felt that once the wedding was over with, he could relax and enjoy his honeymoon, and if he was still dealing with these certain 'issues' when he returned, he would keep his promise to Donnie and have Dr. Rockwell check into it.

Splinter put a hand on his arm in concern. "You are not having a change of heart, are you my son?" He looked at him with worried eyes.

"Oh no Sensei." Leo quickly assured him. "It's just, well, everything is all set but I was just wondering." Leo took a deep breath. "Sensei, there is no one from my side of the family alive anymore…At least not that I know of." Splinter nodded at Leo in understanding. "And I was just wondering….well…would you mind walking me down the aisle and giving me away?" Splinter looked at him in surprise and Leo couldn't help the blush that came over his cheeks. "I know a father usually gives a bride away and I know I'm not a bride, but I was just hoping…that maybe…you'd let me into your family by taking your name and by giving me away…it…it would be more like you were actually escorting me into your family." He gave Splinter a shy smile.

Splinter smiled at him proudly. "Leonardo." He put his paw on Leo's cheek and stroked it fondly. "I would be honored to walk you down the aisle and escort you into our family." The two smiled at each other and Leo gave his Sensei a heartfelt hug and thank you.

The phone ringing brought them out of their moment and Leo walked toward the desk and picked up the phone. "Hamato Dojo." He answered. "This is Sempai Leonardo Tartaruga."

" _LEO_!" It was Donnie and he sounded upset. " _Leo, there's been an accident._ " Splinter walked over when he saw Leo look up at him and his face pale. " _You and Sensei need to get to the hospital right away!"_

Twenty minutes later, Leo and Splinter came running through the hospital doors. Donnie and Angel were waiting for them by the nurse's station.

"What has happened Donatello?" Splinter demanded. He was looking anxious and fear clouded his eyes.

"Raph was coming home from work." Donnie explained. His face looked stressed and his eyes were red and tired. "He was pulling out from the vet's parking lot when a sound like a car back firing was heard. Raph's truck was turning and suddenly it swerved and hit a pole." Leo began to shake and reached out to grab the nurse's desk as he heard the news. He swallowed hard as Splinter put his hands on his shoulders and Donnie continued. "Leo, according to the police, witnesses saw a man with a gun running from the scene."

Tears flowed from Leo's eyes, he looked from Don to Splinter. "What's the date?" He asked, fear showing clearly in his eyes.

Donnie swallowed hard as he remembered Leo's frightening dream. "July 14th."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, so I'm sure everyone saw that one coming but it had to be done. So much more to get to and the words are just flying from my fingers. See you in the next chapter and please, please, _**PLEASE**_ review:)


	9. Chapter 9 Taken

Okay Dessiree26flores...you should know by now if you've read my other stories, (and I know you have), I do not kill anyone off but the bad guys, so please keep reading and please keep reviewing. Thank you. :)

Ch 9 Taken.

"Donatello." Splinter looked at him while he gripped Leo's shoulders to steady him. "Is Raphael okay?"

Before Donnie could answer, Mikey and Renet came running into the hospital. "Dudes." Mikey called out. "We got here as soon as we could." Both were breathing hard and shaking from hearing the news. "How's Raph?"

Donatello looked at everyone, he held Angel's hand tightly as he spoke. "He's alive." Donnie said as everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. "The police told me he was very lucky. The bullet went right through the windshield on the right side and hit him in his right shoulder but….." Donnie suddenly put a hand to his mouth and sobbed. He took several deep breaths to steady himself before he could continue." They said if he hadn't turned his head to the left at that moment to try and move over into the left lane, the bullet would of hit him in the neck instead." He choked out. "It could have paralyzed him or... _sob_...killed him."

Donnie turned away from everyone and sobbed hard into Angel's shoulder. She stroked his shell and whispered words of encouragement. Donnie took a shuddering breath and turned back to the others. Mikey was holding onto Renet and Splinter had his arms wrapped around Leo who had tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I guess it's a good thing Raph took his truck to work instead of his bike." Mikey commented.

"It was raining this morning. He never takes his bike when it's raining." Leo whispered. He looked back to Donnie. "Will he be okay? What else did the police say? Has the Doctor been out yet?" Leo demanded as the questions flew out of his mouth.

Donnie breath deeply and composed himself. "The bullet hit him in the shoulder, there was a lot of bleeding but for the most part, he's okay. From what the police determined, when the bullet hit him, the sudden impact and pain caused him to swerve to the right so there was no other vehicle involved." Leo put a hand over his mouth trying hard to stifle the sobs as Donnie continued. "He hit the pole and the air bag went off, between that and the bullet, he was knocked unconscious."

Angel looked at everyone. "He's still in surgery, the Doctor will come out and let us know what's going on when he's done which, will hopefully be soon."

Leo nodded and took a seat. He felt so exhausted and sick, he couldn't even stand on his feet any longer. He put his hands over his eyes and rubbed them in frustration. He barely heard the others talking.

"Hey…"Mikey looked at Donnie. "How did you find out about the accident and get here so fast?" He wondered.

Angel looked at him sheepishly. "I work here Mikey." She told him, it was then he noticed she was wearing a nurse's uniform. "I was on duty when Raph was brought in and I called Donnie right away."

Donnie sniffed and wiped his eyes of the tears, he then looked at her rather shyly. "It pays to date a nurse sometimes." He said.

She looked at him with a mocking glare."Sometimes?" She questioned.

He smiled at her and brought her into another hug. "Thank you." He said.

While the others talked, Splinter looked down at Leonardo and placed his paw on his shoulder. "He will be alright my son." Splinter told him.

Leo nodded but kept his head looking down at the floor. Splinter put a finger under his chin and lifted his face so he would look at him. "None of this is your fault Leonardo." He told him sternly.

"It feels like it is." Leo replied. "Ever since I got here, I've brought you all nothing but trouble Sensei." He sighed tiredly. "First Mikey gets shot and now Raph. Sometimes I feel like the universe is telling me Raph and I shouldn't be together…"

"I will not hear such nonsense Leonardo." Splinter interrupted before Leo could continue. "You and Raphael love each other. Do you not?" Leo looked at him with tear filled eyes and nodded. "Then you must fight for what you want and do what you can to move on." Leo sat up taller and looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Is that not what your mother taught you."

"Yes Sensei." Leo said and smiled shyly at him.

Several minutes went by before the doctor finally came out. He smiled at the group. "Raphael is awake and he is asking to speak with his family." The Doctor told them.

"He'll be alright?" Mikey asked.

"He has a slight concussion and he did lose quite a lot of blood, but he will be fine. We will be keeping him here for a few days but afterwards, if there is no further concerns or complications, we'll send him home." Everyone cheered at the news and gave each other hugs. The doctor smiled and looked from one turtle to the other. "Before everyone goes in, he was hoping he could have a few minutes alone with someone named…Leonardo." He said looking around.

Leo quickly stepped forward and went with the doctor into the recovery room where Raph was laying on a bed with his head and arm bandaged and an IV was hooked up to his arm. Leo made his way quickly over to the bed and looked down at Raph with his eyes searching over every inch of him. Aside from his head and arm, the rest of him looked okay and he let out a sigh of relief when he realized Raph was awake and smiling at him.

"Hey babe." He smiled tiredly. "How ya doing?"

"How am I doing?" Leo asked with a surprise and nervous chuckle. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"Me?" Raph let out a small tired laugh. "I'm fine. I've got good looking nurses taking care of me. I get free food, I'm being pampered and I get to sleep as long as I want." He smiled up at Leo.

Leo smiled down at him and push back the tears with rapidly blinking eyes. "Good looking nurses?" He questioned, trying to hold back a sob that threatened to escape. He raised his eye ridges curiously and crossed his arms in mock anger.

"Hey, I can still look." Raph replied. "Just don't care to touch." He brought his hand up to Leo's face and rubbed his cheek affectionately. "You look tired babe."

Leo shook his head. "Just exhausted worrying over you." Leo looked away from him shyly and took a deep steadying breath before turning back to him. "Can't send you out anywhere without something happening to you." He nuzzled Raph's hand with his cheek and gave it a slight squeeze. "You and that hot headed attitude of yours…" He finally couldn't hold it back and let the tears flow. He put his hand over his mouth to try and hide the sobs, but he just couldn't. Raph brought him into a hug.

"Hey, it's okay." Raph soothe, rubbing the back of his shell. "Everything's alright and I'll be out of here in no time." He closed his eyes and laid back tiredly. Leo sat back up and wiped his tears. "When I get home you can use those magic hands of yours and give me that special massage I like so much." Raph laughed tiredly. "And since it doesn't look like I'll be able to go back to work till after our honeymoon, we'll finalize our wedding plans together. Okay?" He brought Leo's hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

Tears were rolling down Leo's face again. "Oh Raph." He said with a chuckle, and wiped his eyes. I love you so much." He bent down and hugged him gently. "But the wedding and honeymoon plans are already finalized."

"Oh well." Raph whispered. Leo could see he was getting tired. "Looks like I'll just have to look forward to those massages then." He smiled and Leo pressed their lips together and kissed him tenderly.

"Any time you want, let me know." He promised. He laid his head on Raph's chest and enjoyed being in the arms that wrapped around him.

They held each other for a few minutes longer before Leo pulled away from him and gazed lovingly into his eyes. "The others are pretty worried about you, let me get them so they can see how you're doing."

Raph nodded and Leo smiled at him as he walked out the door and over to the rest of the family which now included April and Casey. They looked at him anxiously and were pleased to hear he wanted to see the rest of the family. The doctor allowed the Hamato family to go in, but advised not to be too long since Raph needed to sleep.

"Doctor." Leo turned to him. "May I go back in there with them?" He looked at Splinter, Donnie and Mikey. "We are all family after all, and we need each other." The doctor nodded but reminded them once again to only stay for a few minutes.

Leo followed the brothers and Splinter back into the room. He watched as Raph's family looked at him with a mixture of relief and concern. Splinter gave him a gentle kiss while each brother gave him a gentle hug."What was that about not using your head to stop a bullet?" Mikey asked jokingly.

Raph gave a slight shake of his head at him. "I didn't." He whispered with a small smile."I stopped it with my arm."

"Next time try your shell." Donnie told him. They stayed with him for a few minutes before Splinter gave him a gentle rub on his head. "We will see you tomorrow my son." He told him. Leo leaned in and gave him a hug and kiss goodbye with a promise to visit him the next day as well. "I do love you so much." He told him as they kissed tenderly.

"Right back at ya babe." Raph whispered He closed his eyes and fell asleep as the family left the room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So the doc says my arm will be fine and I won't even need physical therapy." Raph said proudly, grabbing a slice of pizza from the delivery box April held out for him. "I just have to wear this sling for a few days as well as take it easy for a while and do no heavy lifting."

"Good thing your skin is as thick as your head Raph." Casey teased him. "So when ya getting out of this joint?"

"Doc said I can go home tomorrow." He grinned up at Leo who was sitting on the bed next to him. "Someone just needs to come get me." He gave Leo's ass a pinch which caused Leo to yelp and everyone in the room laughed.

"I'll be here sometime about five, I want to see my mom after my last class." Leo told him, trying to fight the blush that was rising in his cheeks.

"Ah yeah, and then come Saturday someone's getting married." Mikey sang as he bounced around the small room. He took a slice of pizza for Renet before taking one for himself. He then passed the box to Donnie and Angel who then laid it on the bed so Raph could get another piece.

The others laughed at Mikey's antics as they passed around pizza and drank soda. They chatted happily for several minutes until the door to Raph's room opened and a rather large looking nurse with curly blond hair and a stern look in her deep blue eyes walked in and interrupted them.

"What is going on in here?" She demanded with a very authoritative voice, looking over the four couples sitting around and enjoying pizza. "This patient is suppose to be resting!" She walked over to the bed and pulled the half-eaten slice out of Raph's hands.

"Hey!" He yelled. "I was still eating that."

"You will not be having any more of this junk." She told him, throwing it in the pizza box. "You young man, will be saying good bye to your friends and getting ready for a bath."

"I can take a bath after my friends are done visiting." He told her angrily. "Now give me back my pizza."

"Sorry green eyes." She took the pizza box off the bed and handed it to Donnie. "But I'm on a schedule and I'm the one giving the bath, not you."

Raph's eyes opened wide and he grabbed Leo's arm, pulling him close as though he was trying to use him as a shield. "No way!" He yelled, keeping Leo in front of him while Leo struggled to get off the bed and out of Raph's iron clad grip. "The only one giving me a bath is me."

"Think again half-shell." She told him glaring at him with her arms crossed. She now turned to the others in the room. "All of you will have to leave and take this disgusting bit of junk food with you." She motioned toward the door and began to walk towards it. Then she turned back to Raph. "I'll be back in five minutes." She emphasized the five part holding up her hand as she turned to leave.

"Five minutes." Raph looked at her horrified.

The nurse turned back to look at him. "That's right bright eyes." She said with a leering glare. "Five minutes!" She walked out leaving Raph in fear for his life while his friends snickered behind their hands.

"Five minutes." Raph repeated as his face took on a look of horror and Leo finally managed to slip out of his grasp. Raph paled and he suddenly looked like he was about to be led to the gallows. "Leo, babe, you gotta get me outta here now!" He pleaded, reaching out and trying to keep Leo in front of him. "Don't let that behemoth take me." He attempted to grab at Leo as Leo quickly got off the bed and out of his reach.

"Sorry babe." Leo mocked as he dodge Raph's hand. "But no worries, I'll be back tomorrow to bring you home and then we'll have our own little private bath sessions. Luv ya." He giggled as he walked quickly to the door.

"Yeah Raph." Donnie said, grabbing onto Angel's hand. "Enjoy your bath time." They quickly followed Leo's example and rushed out the room.

"Yeah, we don't want to interfere with Nurse Behemoth's schedule." Casey laughed, slinging his arm around April's shoulders as she tried hard to hold back the laughter. "And don't worry, we'll finish off the pizza for ya." April called back.

"It's Nurse Watkins and she's much more gentler then she looks." Mikey told him as he too escorted Renet out the door. "Enjoy Raph!"

Raph watched in disbelief as his friends and family walked out. He watched terrified as a few minutes later, as promised, Nurse Watkins walked in with a wheelchair and stared at him with an evil grin. "Ready bright eyes?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So I have to go get Raph now mom." Leo said, sitting in front of his mother's grave. He had been going over everything that had taken place over the last week while writing the details in the book he gave to Raph back on Valentine's day over a year ago. Coming to the cemetery with Raph and 'speaking' with his mom had become a regular thing for him. It made him feel close to her and remind him of the love he once knew.

He stood up and looked down at the grave. "I miss you mom." He said. "Next Saturday I'm going to be getting married and by this time next week, I'll be Leonardo Tartaruga Hamato." He smiled as the name rolled easily off his lips. "I hope you don't mind that I'm taking Raph's name mom." He said. "It just feels so right and…" Leo sighed deeply. "And I really want this." He smiled. "I really wish you were going to be there, but I know in some way…you already are." He placed his hand on the tombstone. "I love you mom, I'll be back in a few weeks and I'll have Raph with me." He smiled and now looked at his aunt's stone. "Love you too Auntie, see you next time."

He turned and walked toward the Hamato SUV. As he walked, he began to look around, that strange feeling of someone watching him came over him again and he began to feel nervous. He got his keys out and quickly made his way toward the car. No one else was around but still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was not alone.

He went to lift the handle of the door only to find it locked. He looked at the car uncertainly. 'I don't remember locking the doors.' He thought to himself. He again looked around. A wave of nausea coming over him caused him to lean against the car and breath deeply. 'Get a hold of yourself Leo.' He told himself, wishing and praying this illness was nothing more then his nerves just acting overtime. 'Just get in the car and get to the hospital so you can get Raph and go home.' He looked around and calmed himself as he once again noted that there was no one there but him.

He unlocked the door and swung it open. He quickly climbed in and put the keys in the ignition while closing the door. He leaned back and breath deeply, wishing the nausea would go away. He allowed himself a moment to close his eyes and steady himself before leaning forward and turning on the ignition. He looked ahead at the road that would lead to the exit of the cemetery. He then looked up to the rear view mirror to adjust it but instead was startled at seeing a gun pointed at his head.

"Hello Leonardo." Jeffrey said as Leo let out a startled gasp. "Miss me."


	10. Chapter 10 The Past Comes BackAgain

Ch 10 The Past Comes Back…Again.

Donnie made his way to the living room with popcorn and soda. He dimmed the lights and smiled at Angel who was currently putting a movie in the DVD player. "I've been wanting to see this movie for a long time." He said, sitting on the couch while putting the snacks on the coffee table.

"I can't believe you've never seen 'Good Will Hunting'?" She told him, standing up. "It's a really good film."

"I don't usually watch films." He told her, feeling rather embarrassed.

"Didn't you go to movies when you were a kid?"

"Not really." Don said. "My brothers tried to get me to go, and I did sometimes, but I was usually busy studying." He explained. "How else would I have my Doctorate and PHD by the age of eighteen and be able to have the job I have if I didn't."

"Well Doctor Don." Angel teased before looking at him with a determined look. "That is about to change." She picked up the remote and smiled at him. "So where is everyone?" She asked.

"Leo went to pick up Raph and then he's going to take him out to eat, just hope he can keep it down." Donnie told her. "He's been feeling rather sick lately." He shook his head as that small twinge of fear over what the issue could be came back to him, but so far Dr. Rockwell had found nothing in the last blood sample. "Mikey and Renet are at her place having a cook out with her family and Sensei is at a karate convention and isn't expected back til later today" He said.

"So we're all alone." She snuggled closer to his side.

Donnie widen his eyes as Angel pushed the play button. She looked at Donnie rather seductively. "There are some sad scenes in the movie and I'll probably need to be held very…very…tightly." She purred in his ear.

Donnie laughed nervously and watched the opening scene with anticipation. They had just started cuddling when Don's pocket started to vibrate.

Don sighed and looked at her feeling rather embarrassed. "It's my t-phone." He explained.

"Just ignore it." Angel urged as she nuzzled Don's neck. She brought his lips down on hers and they began to make out. But the continuous vibration in Don's pocket was distracting him so he pulled away from Angel and took the phone out of his pocket.

"Let me just see who it is." He told her. Angel settled back with an annoyed huff and paused the movie. He looked at the number and Angel saw a look of worry in his eyes. "It's the hospital." He told her. She leaned forward in concern as he answered.

"This is Donatello Hamato." He said.

" _Donnie, it's Raph_."

"It's Raph." He told Angel. "What's up Raph?"

" _Is Leo there_?" He asked. " _He was suppose to pick me up an hour ago and he has yet to arrive_."

Donnie furrowed his forehead. "No Raph." He told him. "He left a long time ago. Have you tried to call his cell"

 _"More then once_." Raph said . Donnie could hear the exasperation in his voice. " _Can you come get me Don_?" Raph asked. " _I'm starting to get worried."_

Don and Angel drove in Angel's car to the hospital and found Raph waiting on the curb in a wheelchair with a very agitated Nurse Watkins. With a hasty goodbye, Raph quickly climbed into the car and once again dialed Leo's phone. "Still nothing." He muttered. "Any idea where he was going before he was suppose to come and get me?"

"Said he was going to visit his mom." Donnie said as he put the car in gear. They drove to the cemetery and took a quick look around the area.

"Nothing." Raph said. He had called Leo's cell once again, but there was still no answer and he was starting to get anxious. His arm hurt and his head was pounding hard with a headache. "Where the hell could he be?" Raph banged his fist on the car.

"Let's call Casey." Angel suggested. "Now that he's on the police force, he can use some of their resources and try to help find him."

Donnie and Raph nodded at her and they quickly drove home. along the way, Raph called Casey and he promised he would do what he could. "We can't check for Leo because it hasn't been twenty four hours yet, but I'll report your car stolen and see where that can get us." He suggested.

"Great, thanks Case." Raph said. He hung up and scowled. "That's just great!" He practically yelled. "They can look for property right away but they have to wait twenty four hours before they can look for a person." He walked into the house and sat on the couch. He leaned his head back in frustration. "Why is that?"

"Because adults can take off and do what they want." Donnie told him. "More then once, police are called out on….." He stopped and shrank back as Raph growled at him.

"Rhetorical question Donnie!" He shot back.

"Be calm my son." Splinter told him, he had just arrived home and been given the details of what was going on. "We will find Leonardo and everything will be alright." He gave Raph's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"But where is he Sensei?" Raph asked, his voice cracking with worry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo slowly opened his eyes and looked around the cold dark room. His head hurt and when he attempted to put his hands up to touch the wet sticky bump on the side, it was then he realized that his hands were shackled behind him and chained to the wall and a gag had been placed over his mouth.

He slowly began to think back to what happened before he woke up here. He had been visiting his mom's grave. That strange feeling of someone watching him came back to him. He had gotten into the SUV to go get Raph at the hospital when he saw…JEFFREY! Leo's eyes opened wide as he realized his ex-boyfriend had kidnapped him. He remembered the gun to the back of his head. He remembered seeing Jeffrey raise it and before he could defend himself….bright stars lit up behind his eyes.

A sound above him had Leo looking up and he saw a thin line of light filtering in through a door from above. 'I'm in a basement,' Leo realized. He began struggling with his bindings when the door above him began to creek. He felt his heart pound hard against his ribs as he saw the light grow. The door was being opened. It was then Leo noticed a wooden staircase was leading down from the entrance, and the sound of footsteps were coming down the stairs. He felt his mouth run dry as the feet came into view, then the legs and eventually the whole person.

Jeffrey looked down at Leo and smiled. In one hand he held a lit lantern that lit up the room and now Leo could see the room he was in. To the side of where he laid on a mattress, was a toilet and sink fixture and it dawned on him this room was built recently. In the other he held a tray with a mug and plate of food. He made his way over to him and placed the lantern on a hook by the staircase and placed the tray on the ground slightly away from Leo. He reached out to touch him but Leo flinched away as he brought his hand up to his face.

"Now now Leonardo." He said as he gently removed the gag from his mouth. "Is that anyway to greet me after all this time away from each other." He took the gag off and helped Leo sit up. "I brought you some tea. The kind you like. Chamomile tea and some toast." He rubbed Leo's cheek gently. "I know you haven't been feeling well."

Leo looked at him in shock. "You've been watching me?"

Jeffrey smiled tenderly at him. "I've been watching you since you came back last April." He told him. He held the cup of tea to Leo's lips."Drink." He ordered and tilted the cup up.

Leo took a small sip of the hot liquid then pushed the cup away with his mouth. "Why Jeffrey?" Leo asked. "Why are you doing this?"

Jeffrey turned to the tray."Isn't it obvious?" He asked, putting the cup down and picking up the toast. He placed the toast against Leo's mouth and looked at him with anticipation. Leo took a small bite and chewed slowly, his eyes staring directly in Jeffrey's.

Jeffrey smiled at him in satisfaction as Leo swallowed. "Don't you remember what I said to you the last time we saw each other?"

Leo looked away from Jeffrey and down at the floor as he thought about that day so many years ago.

Flashback

 _"I want nothing more to do with you Jeffrey!" Leo yelled, watching as Jeffrey laid moaning on the ground after Leo kneed him in the groin. "You come near me again and I'll call the cops."_

 _"Don't you dare think of leaving me Leonardo." Jeffrey shouted furiously at him. "If you think you can just walk away from me, then think again!" He stared at Leo with eyes wide and a look of craziness shown in them. "I'll find you no matter where you are. I'll never let you go. NEVER!"_

 _Leo looked down at Jeffrey with angry eyes. "Try it and you'll regret it." He said through gritted teeth. "Goodbye Jeffrey." He turned away from him and walked toward home. Behind him he could hear Jeffrey shouting angrily at him._

 _"It's not over Leonardo…I promise you It's not over!"_

Present.

"I promised you I'd never let you go...and I always keep my promises." Jeffrey smiled and narrowed his eyes as he watched Leo's eyes looking around as though he was trying to remember something.

Leo looked around in consternation. "How did you get out of jail?" Leo questioned. He could only think of one way Jeffrey may have been able to get out. "You were suppose to serve twenty years with no parole because you killed two people with your car after you went out drinking."

"BECAUSE OF YOU!" Jeffrey suddenly screamed out causing Leo to flinch and press himself into the wall.

Jeffrey stood and started pacing the floor, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "Everything that happened to me was because of you." He ran a hand over his face. "And I was determined to not let you go." He spoke quickly and looked at Leo angrily. "So I called your step-dad." He laughed "He Let me know what was going on with you. Told me how you ran away from home to come back to New York after your mommy died." He mocked. "He said I should just remain in jail until he needed me. So I waited, and I waited till finally, last year a lawyer got me out on a technicality and then Bradford called me. Told me you were going back to LA to visit your mom's grave."

"How did he know?" Leo was dumbfounded.

"He has connections!" Jeffrey shouted leering at him. He moved himself closer to Leo's face. "After all, your dad was the head of a major crime syndicate and Bradford was one of his top dogs. They know how to find you."

Leo stared horrified into Jeffrey's eyes. They were staring back at him with that same wild and crazy look he had the last time they saw each other. "I know what's going on with you, what your dad did to you and what they want to continue doing to you." He put his hand on Leo's face again. "And I know the only way to keep you safe from them and everyone else who tries to take you away from me is to hide you away where you'll never be found."

Leo shook and his eyes widen with fear. He looked up as Jeffrey took a deep breath and once again sat next to him. He picked up the cup and toast. "Now." He said firmly yet quietly to him. "You're going to eat and then get some rest." He forced the cup against Leo's mouth and smiled at him. "Then you and I are going to start a new life together."


	11. Chapter 11 Playing the Game

Wow, just can't stop writing and getting all the words out. Love the reviews. Keep them coming. And the sound effects were a nice touch. Thank you cocoabeans05 :)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ch 11. Playing the Game.

"Raph!" Casey ran into the Hamato house looking excited. "We've found your SUV."

"SO!" Raph yelled. "I don't care about the car!" He looked at him like he had two heads. "I care about finding Leo!"

"The car being found brings us one step closer to finding Leo." Casey insisted.

"What do you mean Casey?" Donnie asked as he and the rest of the Hamatos came out into the living room.

"You better sit down for this." Casey advised. "Detectives Slash and Spike found the car about five miles outside the city." He told them.

"They put detectives on the case for a missing car?" Donnie asked, looking confused.

"It's been twenty-four hours since Leo went missing so I already put in for a missing person report. And Slash and Spike remember Leo from when they investigated his aunt's murder." Casey explained. "When they heard he was missing, they took sometime yesterday while they were off from work and looked into finding your car thinking it would lead them to Leo."

"Okay then enough about the car Casey." Raph said, leaning forward on the couch. "How's that gonna help us find Leo?"

"Well, the car was found by a sheriff who had it towed to the nearest impound. The Detectives went over there and checked it out." Casey took a deep breath and looked at Raph with concern eyes. "They found blood on the passenger seat, along with Leo's cell phone which was all smashed up."

"Blood?" Mikey questioned. Everyone looked at each other with horrified faces before looking back at Casey, hoping for some sort of reassurance that he knew Leo was okay.

Casey looked at his friends nervously. "There wasn't a lot of blood but they did confirm it was Leo's and that got them thinking that maybe Leo was knocked unconscious and his attacker drove your car to that spot where he had another car waiting for him."

"Yeah, and?" Raph demanded.

"And, they checked the steering wheel for finger prints and found a match through their data base."

"So whose fingerprints are they?" Donnie asked, also leaning forward on the couch.

"Some guy named Jeffrey Moore." Casey told them triumphantly. "Any idea who he is?"

"Yeah." Raph said, an angry scowl on his face. "It's Leo's ex."

"Okay." Casey stood up and took out his cell phone. "We now know who has Leo." He said while dialing a number. "Now we just need to try and figure out where he would've taken him."

"The sooner the better too Case." Raph began pacing. "After all this time, who knows what that maniac could be doing to him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo vomited into the toilet for the third time that day. He took deep breaths and held onto the toilet's rim as he tried to steady himself. He got up shakily and slowly made his way over to the sink and once again, rinsed his mouth and washed his face in an attempt to cool himself down. It was rather difficult with the shackles still on him but at least Jeffrey had placed the shackles to the front of him, loosely enough so he could move his wrist without chaffing them and he was no longer chained to the wall. After he was done at the sink, he made his way back to the mattress and laid down on his shell exhausted. He weakly stared up at the light through the door. 'Need to think of a way outta here.' Leo thought as he rubbed his hot and tired face. He looked at his hands and sighed; the ring Raph had given him was gone, taken by Jeffrey while he had been unconscious. He once again struggled to get his hands free of the shackles but to no avail.

Leo looked around the small room he was in. It was cold, damp and the only light came from above through the door. But when Jeffrey came down last time, he had brought Leo a very small flashlight, and although it did help some, the light was dim and did not provide as much light as he hoped. Just enough to help him see his way to the small bathroom in the corner. As he laid there, he thought back to the last time he saw Jeffrey.

Late last night

 _"I hadn't had time to add electricity down here for you." Jeffrey told him walking down the stairs. "It was everything I could do to set up the plumping so you could have a little bathroom down here, that's why it took me so long to bring you here." He laughed. "I wanted to have everything set up so you'd be as comfortable as possible._

 _He knelt in front of Leo. "Now I'm going to fix your shackles so they're to the front of you." He told him, holding up the key that would release his bindings. "If you try ANYTHING…I'll leave you down here…alone…for a very…very…very long time." His voice was low and dark._

 _The two stared at each other and Leo nodded his head and allowed Jeffrey to free one hand while the other remained shackled to the wall. Eventually, Jeffrey had both hands shackled to the front of Leo and the chain that was bolted to the wall removed from the bindings. Leo watched as Jeffrey once again walked back toward his lantern and began going up the stairs. He suddenly stopped and tossed a small black flashlight at Leo. "Something to keep you warm while I'm away." He laughed and left Leo alone and concealed in the dark once again._

Present

Leo shook his head as he thought about what he had said that last time. And now he understood why he had been having those weird feelings of being watched. He thought back to the times when he saw the man across the street and the light shining in the distance when he collected his things at the storage bin. 'Jeffrey'. He thought. 'It had all been Jeffrey.'

Leo took deep breaths to try and quell the nausea as he once again played the flashlight around the small room. Since receiving the small flashlight, Leo had inspected the room dozens of times, trying to find something that would lead to an exit, but no matter how many times he went over the room, he could find no sign of another door. The room had no windows and the walls had been reinforced with concrete, making it almost impossible to get out.

After a while of looking, Leo decided the only way out was the door at the top of the stairs. But first, he would have to find a way to get the iron shackles off and so far he had found nothing that would assist him in that task either. 'Gotta find some way outta of these.' He seethe to himself as he again struggled to get out of them.

The door opening above his head let him know Jeffrey was again coming down the stairs. He was carrying a cup of tea and the lantern he carried gave an eerie glow about the room. "I was just bringing you another cup of tea." He said. "I know how much you like it." He placed his lantern on the small hook.

"I don't want another cup of tea Jeffrey." Leo told him sternly. "I want you to let me leave this place and go home."

Jeffrey struck Leo across the face and he fell to the side with a moan. "You mean you just want to go back to him!" Jeffrey yelled. He threw the cup across the room and then grabbed Leo by the shoulders. "Isn't that right?!" He said shaking him. "You just miss your precious boyfriend! That pathetic freak of yours! You do anything for him but where were you when I needed you!" He shoved Leo roughly against the wall and grabbed his lantern. He made his way toward the stairs. "I'm only sorry I missed him when I tried to get rid of him the first time." He turned back to Leo and scowled at him. "Next time, though, I will not miss." He removed the gun hidden under his jean jacket and waved it under Leo's beak, staring intently at him. "Next time...he...will...DIE!" He place his gun back in his pocket and turned to leave.

"Please Jeffrey." Leo begged sitting up. "Please just leave Raph alone." He touch his throbbing cheek. "There's no need to kill him."

"Isn't there?" Jeffrey sneered looking back at him. "He took your honor."

Leo looked at him confused. "What?"

"You pathetic…."Jeffrey turned away from Leo and grit his teeth. "You spread your legs for him, scream his name….you let him take your innocence!" He seethe angrily. "But what about me Leonardo!" Jeffrey turned angry eyes back to him and let the lantern drop to the ground. "Where were you when I needed your love, huh!?" He walked toward Leo and Leo backed himself against the wall shaking his head in shock at Jeffrey's outburst.

"Where were you while I sat in that hell hole day after day and night after night!?." He screamed and brought his face close to Leo's till their noses were almost touching. "I loved you and you give yourself to that piece of filth!" He grabbed Leo's chin and pinched his cheeks roughly. "I told you…you were mine and I would never let you go." He forced Leo's head against the wall while Leo whimpered from the rough manhandling. "NEVER!" He took his hands off Leo and stood up. "And you think I would just let you go and be with someone else while I sat rotting away in jail!" He shook his head and laugh." You're just as stupid as you look if you think you can find someone who can replace me." He began to walk toward the stairs again. "But you'll see…I'll deal with this Raphael and then…."He patted his side and bent down to pick up his lantern. He then looked back at Leo. "Then you won't have to think about him anymore." Leo watched as he started up the stairs.

"JEFFREY!" Leo cried out. "PLEASE STOP THIS! "He pleaded "You were right and I was wrong." He told him in desperation. He waited with bated breath, hoping and praying Jeffrey would heed his cry. He heard Jeffrey stop at the top of the stairs and stared intently through the darkness.

"What did you say Leonardo?" Jeffrey asked a little calmer, slowly working his way back down to him.

"I said." Leo closed his eyes, swallowed hard and steadied his breathing. "You were right…I was wrong."

Jeffrey walked over to him and placed his hand tenderly on the cheek he had just struck. "What was I right about Leonardo?" Leo watched as he gently placed the lantern down and stare vacantly at him. Leo could see Jeffrey was on the verge of insanity. He spoke slowly and calmly, trying to keep his voice steady as he tried to think of what he could say to keep Jeffrey's mind off of going after Raphael.

Leo took a deep breath. "I was stupid…to think I could find someone else." Leo leaned his head into Jeffrey's hand. "But I didn't know what else to do." He looked into Jeffrey's eyes and hoped he would see the sincerity in them. "You were in jail and my mom was gone and Bradford…Bradford was going crazy." Leo placed his hand over Jeffrey's. "I was scared." He whispered. "I had no one left to turn to and I…I only knew of one other person who could possibly help me so I left." He placed his other hand on Jeffrey's cheek. "I didn't want to, but I didn't think I had a choice." Leo's voice shook as he told Jeffrey what he was sure he wanted to hear.

Jeffrey stared at Leo." You could've gone to my family." He told him.

Leo gave a light chuckle. "Your family hated me for what I am." He reminded him. "They wouldn't have taken me in." Leo looked deep into Jeffrey's eyes. "But now we're together again and…and if you go and kill Raphael." He licked his lips, praying Jeffrey was taking the bait. "Then you might get caught and I'll be all alone again." Leo closed his eyes and forced his lips against Jeffrey's. They kissed for a few seconds before Leo pulled back and stared intently. "Don't let that happen Jeffrey." He urged him, his voice low and husky. "Don't take away what we now have."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Casey finished the call on his cell and turned back to the Hamatos. "I spoke with Detective Slash." He told them. "Seems this guy Moore was in jail in California for killing two people after getting drunk and hitting them with his car."

"Yeah we know all that Casey." Raph was getting impatient. "Tell us something we don't know."

"What you don't know is that he got out on a technicality back in March of last year and hasn't been seen by his parole officer since the beginning of April and now there's a warrant for his arrest." He sat back on the couch. "And, with the cooperation from the LAPD, Spike was able to go through Moore's emails and phone records." He looked at them intently. "Guess who he's been in contact with?"

"Leo's dad?" Mikey said, rather excitedly.

"Close Mike." Casey told him. "Chris Bradford; they were corresponding back when Bradford first went to prison last year."

"You're kidding." Donnie told him. "Leo's step-dad and his ex have been in contact with each other?"

"Leo told me that Moore was a student of Bradford's back in LA." Raph said. "Leo thought Bradford may have hooked the two up as a way of keeping tabs on him."

"Where does this lead us Casey?" Splinter asked him.

Casey looked thoughtful for a moment. "Didn't you tell me Bradford use to teach here in New York?" Casey asked, reaching for his phone again. Raph nodded. "Then that's the next piece of information to look into." He dialed the phone once again. "We'll see what information we can get on Bradford."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeffrey stared at Leo for several moments. "What do we have Leonardo?"

"A second chance." Leo said. "You talk about my honor being taken?" He asked as Jeffrey nodded. "Then what would you do to restore it?"

Jeffrey suddenly got a wild and excited look in his eyes. He placed both his hands on Leo's face and stroked his mouth as his breath quickened. "I would marry you."

Leo was taken aback from that announcement. His eyes roamed over Jeffrey's face. "You..you want to marry me?" He asked in disbelief. "But you…."

"Have loved you from the moment we met." He said as he continued to stare at Leo with anxiety. "Something like you, so precious and beautiful, needs to be cherished and protected." He licked his lips in anticipation of the thought of keeping Leo for his own. "Taken care of and brought to a place where no harm can ever come to you." He smiled and forced his lips on Leo's. He brought his hand down on Leo's leg and began to slowly run his hand up along Leo's calf, knee and thigh until his hand eventually made it's way into the pant leg of Leo's jean shorts.

But Leo didn't fight back. He had to keep up the charade. Keep Jeffrey thinking he wanted him so he wouldn't go after Raphael. So he forced himself to ignore the hand snaking up his leg and he kissed him back, tenderly and deeply, opening his mouth and allowing Jeffrey's tongue to mingle with his.

They broke the kiss and Leo looked back at Jeffrey with a smile on his face. "Then lets do it." He told him, trying hard to sound eager. "Let's get married right now." He held his hands up hoping Jeffrey would undo the shackles that bound his wrist. "Take me upstairs and let's declare our love for each other."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Casey hung up his cell and looked back at Raph and his family. "Their going to look into Bradford and get back to me." He told them.

"Get back to you?!" Raph yelled in disbelief. He looked from Casey to his family and jumped up angrily. He grabbed his keys to his motorcycle and started walking toward the door.

"Raphael!" Splinter called out to him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Leo!" He yelled out.

Donnie ran over to him and put his hand on his shoulder before he could open the door. "Where Raph?" He asked. "Where are you going to look?"

Raph took deep heaving breaths. He shook hard as he leaned his bandaged head against the door and banged it with his fist. "I should have listened to him!" He cried out. Tears began flowing down his face. "He kept telling me he felt like someone was watching him...watching us." He whispered. He felt Donnie squeeze his shoulder. "I should have believed him." Donnie gently took hold of Raph and led him back to the couch. "Why didn't I listen?" He looked at his family as the tears ran down his face. "Why didn't I believe him." He put his face in his hands. "Why didn't I try to find a way to protect him? Protect us?"

Mikey wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders and brought him into a hug."We'll find him Raph." He told him as his tears joined with Raph's. "We'll find him and we'll bring him back home." He whispered. "I know we will."


	12. Chapter 12 Making a Stand

Okay, I'll be putting up two chapters now, this one deals strictly with Leo and the next one will deal with Raph and the others. Keep those reviews coming, I'm loving them. :)

Ch 12 Making a Stand.

Jeffrey looked down at Leo with excitement building in his eyes. He licked his lips again and was about to take off the bindings when he stopped and stared at Leo suspiciously. "Not just yet." He told him with uncertainty. "I have some things I need to take care of first."

Leo looked at Jeffrey with concern. "Wh..what things?"

Jeffrey smiled at Leo. "I have a surprise for you that isn't ready yet." He told him. "You wait here, I'll get things together and we'll have a beautiful ceremony." He stood up, grabbed his lantern and walked quickly toward the stairs. "Just you and I." He smiled at him. "You'll love it."

"Jeffrey wait…please." Leo called to him before he reached the stairs. "H...how long will you be?"

"Not sure." Jeffrey said cocking his head to one side as he looked back at him. "Why?"

"You know I'm not feeling all that well and I…I'm really hungry." He insisted. "Can you make me something to eat before you go off to do whatever it is your going to do?" He asked hopefully, trying hard to sound sincere.

Jeffrey searched Leo's face for a few moments then nodded. "I'll be right back." He told him. He was just about to turn and walk up the stairs when he stopped and made his way over to where the little cup laid broken on the floor. "I'll get you a fresh cup of tea too." He told him walking back up the stairs. A few minutes later, Jeffrey came back with a small salad, dinner roll and another cup of tea. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done." He stroke Leo's bruised cheek and again kissed him deeply.

Leo returned the kiss and then looked at him with intense eyes. "Hurry back." He whispered. As soon as Jeffrey was out of sight, Leo quickly wiped the taste of him on the sleeve of his t-shirt in disgust and rubbed his leg where Jeffrey's hand touched him.

Leo listened to Jeffrey's footsteps walking up the stairs, he heard the door open and shut and he was once again shrouded in darkness. Leo listened to the footsteps above him and, like before, he heard them slowly disappear away from where he sat. Taking out the little flashlight, Leo looked down at the tray Jeffrey had placed in front of him. He surveyed the contents contemplating what he could possibly use to help him get out of these shackles and his little prison. "Hmmmm, salad and a roll." Leo picked at them grimly. "Can't use any of the food to help." He mused. "Plate, bowl. No, they're plastic and that won't do much good." He looked at his utensils. "Fork and knife. They're also plastic so they won't cut me out of these cuffs but they might make a decent weapon." He picked up the cup. 'Ceramic, broken might help but can't cut these shackles, again it might make a decent weapon.' He shrugged his shoulders and put it to the side. 'If Jeffrey's up there and I break it, he may hear and come see what's going on.' He surmised. 'I'll leave it alone for now.'

Leo looked at the small packet of salad dressing and little tubes of oils Jeffrey had given him to use on the salad. He looked back at his shackles. Jeffrey had kept them loose enough so they would not chafe Leo's skin but it was still snug enough that it was difficult for him to get his hand through the hole and the chain in between the cuffs were long enough so he could move his hands enough to assist in doing whatever he needed to do.

He looked back at the dressings and oils; 'maybe,' he thought and picked up the dressing packet first and then the oils. He began lubing his left wrist and hand till his skin was dripping. He twisted and flexed his hand for several long minutes. He grunted and squirmed his wrist causing his hand to scrape and bleed while he forced it out of the shackle. But with determination and patience, he finally freed his left hand of the cuff. Exhausted from his effort, he decided to leave his other hand with the cuff on. Deciding to leave everything behind, he grabbed the small flashlight and slowly make his way up the stairs.

He placed his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it, he felt his heart pound hard against his chest as he slowly opened the door. He remembered Jeffrey was also a trained martial artist and he could be just as stealthy, so he had to be on his guard. He knew Jeffrey could still be there. He peeked out and saw the door opened up into a small closet where at the other side was another doorway that led into a darkened room. Leo stepped cautiously into the room and played the light around til he found a light switch. He turned it on and gasped at the scene that laid before his eyes.

In front of him was a desk with papers scattered about the top of it and two large candelabras on either side of the desk with several unlit candles. On the wall above the desk was collage of pictures of him in several different scenes. Some with him at the cemetery. Or walking down the street. Some with the Hamato's home or in Raph's truck. Leo scanned the area and noticed the candles had been used more then once as the wicks were very low and wax had dripped everywhere on the floor. Curious, Leo walked closer and played his eyes over all he was seeing. His eyes narrowed and he swallowed hard at the amount of photos that laid on the desk. But these photos showed Leo with his family and friends. Raph, his brothers, his Sensei and his classes. But what Leo found horrifying was some of the photos that had Raph in it showed Raph's head being very meticulously cut out and replaced by Jeffrey's head.

Leo moved the photos around and picked one up. The picture he stared at it made his eyes open wide in horror. This particular photo was aimed at thier room and even with the sheer curtain drawn, he could very clearly see him and Raph making love. But like the others, Raph's head had been replaced with Jeffrey's. Leo dropped the photo on the desk and started to back away from the little shrine. Fear working it's way up his body as the reality of the situation set in. He had to get out of here and he had to get out fast!

As he turned to go, his eyes fell on a little trashcan in the corner of the room. Something sparkled inside and Leo moved closer. The can was filled with the cut photos of Raph but on top, barely covered was Leo's ring. Anxiously, he bent down, picked it up and placed it back on his finger. His eyes roamed over the wall one last time. A shiver ran up his spine and he turned to run out the room. But just as he was about to step past the door, he bumped right into Jeffrey.

"Do you like it?" Jeffrey asked. Leo held back a scream and began backing up into the room and up against the desk. "I worked long and hard on it." Jeffrey walked toward him, his eyes searching his face with a strange and expecting look about him. "All for you." He told him smiling. His hand reached out to touch his face and Leo flinched his head back away from him.

Jeffrey's forehead creased with suspicion at Leo's unexpected reaction. He eyes roamed over Leo's body and a look of anger rose within them when they fell on Leo's hand and the ring that once again adorned his finger. "I knew I couldn't trust you." He said, his voice slowly raising in anguish. "Damn you, I knew you were just playing me again." His face twisted in an anger and he quickly grabbed his left wrist and scowled at him. "Take it off!" He yelled furiously while violently shaking Leo by his hand. "Take it off right now!"

"NO!" Leo yelled pushing him back. He had placed the iron cuff that had bound his left wrist into his right hand and threw his right arm straight out, smashing his hand against Jeffrey's mouth hard. Jeffrey screamed in pain as he fell to the floor, clutching his mouth and spitting out blood. He turned to see Leo running out the room and scrambled to get up and chase after him.

Leo made his way out the room and upon shutting the door, he noticed a latch with a lock that hung from it. He quickly place the lock through the latch and clicked it in place. 'That won't hold him for long but hopefully long enough to get me out of here.' He thought. He turned away from the door to find himself in a living room of a very dimly lit log cabin. He looked up at the wall and felt sickened by the amount of stuffed animal heads that leered down at him. 'I feel like I'm in a scene from a horror film.' He thought to himself. He looked around the room and saw a door that he prayed would lead him out of this hellish place.

"LEONARDO!" Jeffrey's voice called out from behind him as he banged loudly against the bedroom door, shaking it back and forth in an attempt to force it open. Leo ran toward the door and flung it opened. He ran outside and saw nothing but woods and the darkening sky above him. But he couldn't let that stop him, he ran toward the woods and away from the small cabin and the angry voice screaming for him to come back.


	13. Chapter 13 Lost and Afraid

Ch 13 Lost and Afraid.

Raph sat at the kitchen staring down at his cell phone. His family sat with him but no one spoke. They were waiting for the police to get back to them but so far there had been no further word. It was early in the morning and the last anyone had heard, the detectives had been looking into the connection with Moore and Bradford. Casey had promised to call as soon as he heard something, but Raph's phone had not rung since they last spoke with him yesterday.

Splinter got up and walked over to where Raph sat. He placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Perhaps we should have some breakfast." He told him. He looked up at Michelangelo who had been attempting to read a comic book, but the words blurred together through his tired eyes. He nodded in response to his Sensei. They all were exhausted and no one had slept in two nights. But Splinter knew he had to keep his sons' strengths up, as well as his own.

"I don't want food." Raph whispered before Mikey could even start. "I don't want to eat or sleep…I just want to find him and get him home!" He voice crescendo into a loud yell and he pounded his fist on the table in emphasis. "Why hasn't Casey called?!" He yelled exasperated.

"Raphael." Splinter knelt in front of him and stared intently into his eyes. "Casey will call when he has something to tell us." He told him. "Not allowing yourself to eat or forcing yourself to stay awake will not help Leonardo."

Raph took a deep sigh and shook his head. "I know Sensei but it's been too long." He told him. "They were looking into Bradford and his connection to Moore." He looked from his Sensei to his brothers. "Why hasn't he gotten back to us?"

"Donnie?" Mikey turned to look at him. "Maybe you can find something?"

Donnie sat with his laptop in front of him, he had been typing away and his family had assumed it was something for work. He looked away from his brother with shame filling his eyes. "I…uh…I already did Mikey." He whispered.

His family looked at him in shock. "Well…what did you find?" Raph demanded.

"Nothing." Donnie admitted.

"What do you mean nothing?" Mikey asked. "There had to be something!" Mikey pleaded with him. "Maybe Moore is keeping Leo at Bradford's old house...or..or his old dojo."

"I thought of that Mikey." He looked at Raph. "Which I'm sure the police did too."

"And." Raph urged.

"The only thing I could find is that Bradford taught Moore martial arts in LA." He told them. "I checked into Bradford's previous addresses and his last home here in New York was sold to a family several years ago and they've since sold it as well." Donnie looked downcast. "As for his old dojo, that's now a bakery." He looked from his father to his brothers and sighed in defeat. "This is why I didn't say anything." He finally admitted.

Splinter stroked his long beard. "There has to….."

The ringing of Raph's cell interrupted Splinter's thoughts. "It's Casey." Raph said excitedly, he put the phone on speaker. "Hey Case." He answered. "You're on speaker. Please…tell us you have some news."

"Hey guys." Casey's voice sounded exhausted. "Slash and Spike have been going over Bradford's records of his previous known addresses." There was a long pause as Casey took a deep breath. "And I'm afraid they really haven't found anything that could help." Casey could almost hear his friend's faces falling as they heard the news. "We've discovered Bradford had an old training camp in upper state New York about three hours from here." Casey informed them. "They checked it out yesterday but it's been shut down for years and there has been no sign that anyone's been there recently."

"Casey." Donnie spoke up. "Who funded this camp?"

"What Don?" Everyone looked at Donnie curiously.

"I've done my own checking into Bradford's background and…."

"You What!?" Casey yelled. "Donnie, you're not suppose…."

"Enough Casey." Raph yelled back. "He's trying to help and since your police is just sitting around with their thumbs up their asses…"

"Enough of this." Splinter intercepted before Raph could go further. "Casey, please allow Donatello to continue."

"Okay." Casey sighed. "Sorry D….please go on."

"Anyway, from what I could tell, Bradford wasn't exactly very successful here in New York."

"Yeah, we know that Don." Casey told him. "What's your point."

"My point Casey." Donnie sneered at the phone. "Is how was he able to have a training camp set up if he didn't have the money?"

"I'm sure Slash and Spike already checked into this but let me speak with them and see what I can find out." Casey said. "And…uh..Thanks D."

Raph hung up his cell and looked at his family tiredly. "I think I'd like some breakfast now." He looked toward Mikey as he spoke. The younger turtle nodded and stood up. He walked over toward the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl full of eggs.

"Pizza omelet coming up."He said and smiled sympathetically at his older brother.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo opened his eyes and blinked against the brightness of the dawning sky. He had been running most of the night, clutching the little flashlight in his left hand while holding tight to the cuff on his right hand. The loud sounds of Jeffrey's screams echoing behind him, demanding he come back to him, kept him running in fear well into the night. It was during this time, running blind due to the small amount of light the flashlight gave, that Leo had lost his footing and fell down a small hill. He had heard Jeffrey's footsteps close behind him and he quickly burrowed into the dirt to hide in. He pulled at the leaves and sticks that littered the ground and covered himself up with them. He held his breath as he heard Jeffrey run above him. Tired and uncertain of where he was going, he decided he would stay where he was until morning when he would be able to see the path that laid ahead of him.

Leo brushed the leaves and sticks off him and winced at the sudden shooting pain that radiated up his right arm. 'Sprained.' He thought inspecting the swollen limb. He slowly sat up and looked around. He was cold, tired and weak from lack of food and water and the nausea he was still dealing with was only making things worse. He moved slowly out of the little underbrush that covered him and stood up, the flashlight dropping out of his numbed fingers. 'Wasn't a big help anyway.' He thought as he began to make his way up the small hill.

He reached the top and looked around cautiously and listened hard for any sound that might belong to Jeffrey. But so far the woods were quiet. He looked around, debating which way he should go. He had spent most of his life in the city of LA and walking around in the woods was something new to him. But he had to keep moving, he had to find his way to a town or some place where he could find a way to contact Raph.

He gently rubbed his right arm and shivered lightly. It was a rather cold morning for July and he wished, not for the first time, that he was wearing something other then a t-shirt and shorts. He sighed as he thought about Raph and having his arms wrapped around him. To feel the warmth of Raph's arms around him would be so much better then having just his own. 'Raph.' Leo smiled at the image that popped into his head of his hot headed lover. It was this love he felt that kept him going and made him determined to get back home. He looked up at the sun raising in the morning sky and decided to head away from it. 'Maybe going toward the West would get me somewhere.' He told himself grimly. He took a deep breath and began walking.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raph sat at the table nursing his cup of coffee. He looked up at the kitchen clock and huffed. It was only nine in the morning and he was getting very impatient. Donnie and Mikey had done what they could to cheer him up and encourage him to not give up on Leo being found, but everything had gone in one ear and out the other. After, the two had gone to work with the promise of being home early, Raph had gone upstairs and searched through Leo's collection books.

He found the book Leo gave him for their first Valentine's Day and looked through it. The police had found it in the SUV and returned it to him the day before. His eyes scanned the pages noting how each page was filled out by both of them each day since they met, almost as though it was a diary. He let out a sigh and took his red pen. He noted the date and wrote in big letters: LEO'S STILL MISSING. He put the book back in it's spot and walked over to his desk. In Leo's cubby was a notebook. He took it out and realized it was the notebook Leo used for their wedding plans.

He smiled when he saw Leo's information all written down in very specific details. Information about their wedding. Dates regarding their honeymoon to Cape Cod, prices of various restaurants and tours he had hoped to take. Receipts for things Leo had already paid for. Raph gave a small chuckle. This was his lover, meticulous and did everything almost with perfection. As Raph perused the book, he came across one page with writing that looked like a letter. Raph's eyes narrowed as he read..

 _MY PROMISE TO YOU ON OUR SPECIAL DAY_

 _With all my heart, I make this vow to give to you my love, my life, my soul. From the moment I met you I knew you and I were soulmates and meant to be together, forever. I pray that no matter what happens, we are always there for each other, our love guiding us through whatever tough times we may face and reveling in the joyous times we share. As we begin our new lives together walking down an uncertain road, holding hands in uncertain times, encouraging each other to push on through the bad and cheering each other on through the good, my love for you will continue to grow and I'll be by your side till the end of time. With all my Love. Always and forever._

Raph swallowed the lump in his throat and put the notebook away. He rubbed a tired hand over his eyes and stared down at his phone. "Where are you Leo?" He wondered. "Where the hell did Moore take you?"

Now Raph sat in the kitchen, waiting, wondering, hoping. He looked back at his phone wishing once again for it to ring. Nothing. He heard the footsteps coming toward him and smiled. His father always seemed to know when he needed him, weather he needed an ear or a shoulder, his father was there.

"How are you doing my son?" Splinter asked.

"It's going on two days Sensei." He replied. "I'm angry and I'm frustrated." He looked up at him with tired eyes. "I keep telling myself we'll find him but I'm scared…scared that if…when we do find him, he'll be really hurt or….or worse."

Splinter placed a caring hand on Raphael's shoulder. "Through meditation I have been trying to feel for Leonardo's spirit." Raph looked at him, his eyes begging him to give him hope."It is still very strong and very determined." Splinter walked over to the stove and began preparing himself a cup of tea. "He will come home my son." Splinter told him. "And with the help of this family, you and Leonardo will put this ordeal behind you and you will be happy again."

Raph gave his father a halfhearted smile and nodded. He looked back down at his phone begging, in his mind, for a call from Casey when his phone finally rang.

Splinter looked at Raph quizzically when he saw Raph jump. "It's Donnie?" Raph said in surprise."Yeah Don?"

"Raph.." Donnie sounded excited. "I've been going over the information on the training camp Casey told us about."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"The property the camp was built on only a small part of the territory that was purchased by...are you ready for this?"Donnie sounded excited. "Leo's father Oroku Saki."

"Leo's dad purchased the property and had Bradford build a training camp." Raph surmised. "Makes sense considering they were partners."

"And there's more." Donnie told him. "The property is extremely large and, you're gonna love this, several miles away from the camp is a very small cabin."

"That's great Don!" Raph was excited. "Have you called the cops about this."

"Not yet." Don told him. "I'm leaving work now and I called Mikey so he could leave work and meet us at home. You want me to call them now?"

"No." Raph advised. "I'll call Case, he's off work now and see what he wants to do, but you, Mikey and I are going to take a drive out to that camp." Raph looked at Splinter who was stroking his beard. "See you when you get here." He hung up. "Something wrong Sensei?"

"No Raphael." Splinter told him. "I was just wishing I could go with you so when you found Leonardo, I could be there to help you take down this Jeffrey Moore." He finished his cup of tea and looked at his son with a stern look. "Just make sure you give him a severe thrashing for me." Splinter looked at him purposefully. "I want him to know how angry we all are for what he did to Leonardo...and to you, my son." Raph smiled and nodded at his father. He grabbed his t-phone to call Casey and watched as Splinter walked back to the dojo where a few of his students were already waiting for him.

"Haven't seen Leonardo since last Friday Master Splinter." Karai smiled up at him as she bowed into the dojo. "Is he okay?"

"Leonardo is fine." Splinter replied. He did not feel it was necessary to give his students any details of what was happening. "I have given him the rest of the week off so he and Raphael can have time to go over their wedding and honeymoon plans." He watched Karai get into line with the rest of his students. He couldn't understand why Karai constantly seemed to be so interested in Leonardo. She was always asking questions about him and specifically about his health. At first, Splinter thought she was just trying to be a friend but now he was beginning to wonder.

Splinter shook his head. 'Stop being so paranoid Yoshi.' He scolded himself. 'She is only concerned about his well-being.' He bowed to his students and began the class.


	14. Chapter 14 Dealing with the Devil

To Dessiree26flores: Awesome review, keep them coming :)

Ch 14 Dealing with the Devil.

Leo continued to walk through the woods. He was tired and weak. His arm throbbed from the sprain and the shackle that still hung from it and now he could start to feel dehydration setting in. He felt as though he had been walking for hours and wondered if the woods were ever going to end. He had been trying to find a path or a road of some sort that would allow a vehicle to get through, but so far he had found nothing that told him how Jeffrey had been able to get back and forth from New York to wherever he was.

The cold morning had now given way to the hot day and the heat combined with the nausea was beginning to wear him down. He wanted to rest but he didn't want to stop. Stopping meant Jeffrey would be able to eventually catch up to him, and in his weakened condition he was uncertain if he would be able to fight him. 'Keep going.' He told himself. Just a few more miles and hopefully he would find something that resembled civilization.

He pressed onward, keeping his eyes on the ground to watch his footing and his ears opened to the sounds around him. Jeffrey was a martial artist, he knew how to be stealthy and, unlike Leonardo, it was clear he knew these woods. As he wandered, it had dawn on Leo that Jeffrey had been in New York for over a year and had been probably coming to the small cabin for at least that much time. So he knew where to go and how to get around.

He shuddered at the memories of the photos. The one of he and Raph making love sickened him. To know he had been watching him all this time only made Leo angry and more determined then ever to get home and find a way to deal with Jeffrey and get him out of his life once and for all.

Leo turned his eyes upward to the sky and saw the sun directly above him. 'It had to be some time after twelve o'clock.' He thought. Why wasn't he close to anything yet. How far into the woods did Jeffrey take him. He was just beginning to think he should turn and go back the way he came when a small sound of trickling water came to his ears. He felt his mouth run dry and his throat tighten. He walked a few more feet and parted some bushes to find a small stream. He let out a sigh of relief and made his way to the cool refreshing brook. He took a long refreshing drink and laid himself in a deeper part of the stream. It wasn't as deep as he would have liked it to be but it felt great to let it run over his hot sweaty body and rinse the blood away from the his raw and chaffed wrist. 'I'll just rest for a few minutes.' He told himself. 'Just have to listen for any sounds that might be footsteps.' He thought as he felt his eyes grow weary.

After several minutes of relaxing in the cool stream, he felt his energy renewed and decided to continue to walk. He decided to follow the stream as far as he could. He knew the woods would end at some point and he now felt certain he would find some place to get help. Thirty minutes went by before his eyes spotted something that looked like a rather large lake in the far distance. He made his way towards it and let out a huge cry of joy. In front of him in the distance were several large cabins on the edge of the large lake. "Thank you." He breath while looking up to the sky. He quickly made his way down to the closest cabin, hoping and praying to find someone, anyone who could help him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How much further Donnie?" Raph said, sitting next to him in their SUV.

"Not too much further." He replied looking at the GPS. "Should be there in about another twenty minutes."

"Yeah but then how far is the walk to the cabin?" Mikey asked. He was in the back seat directly behind Donnie and very anxious to get to their destination.

"We're not walking Mikey." Donnie advised. "The cabin is several miles away and deep in the woods. That's why I rented the ATV."

Mikey looked behind him to see the sleek black four person ATV sitting on a trailer being towed. If it was not for the mission to find Leo, he would have been very excited at the prospect of going ATVing in the woods with his brothers.

"Do you think Leo will be up for riding in that thing?" Mikey asked.

"Don't worry about Leo." Raph replied. "He's tough as nails and I'll be at his side holding on to him if need be."

Mikey nodded and looked forward. He spotted a sign stating 'Lake Unkechaug' would be coming up in the next five miles.

"Okay we're almost there." Donnie told them. He looked at the GPS and noted the camp was still a few miles away after the turn off. He looked at Raph who stared straight ahead with grim determination on his face. "We'll find him Raph."Donnie assured him. "We'll find him."

Raph nodded and clenched his fist."I know Don." He set his jaw and cracked his knuckles. "He just better be okay or this guy Moore is going to regret the day he was ever born."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo ran into the first cabin he came upon. "HELLO!" He cried out upon opening the door. No response. He took a deep breath and began to inspect each cabin one by one. But they were all the same, empty. Finally, he came to one that looked to be the office. He walked in hoping to find a phone to use but the one phone he did find had been disconnected.

Leo sighed in despair and began to walk back toward the outside, trying to think of what to do next. He was so deep in thought he failed to notice the latch on the door to the cabin had been locked. He reached for it and when it would not open, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach began to well inside him and once again that strange feeling of foreboding washed over him like a tidal wave of fear.

He didn't need to turn around, he could feel his eyes burning holes in his shell, eyes that were filled with anger, rage and hate. He forced himself to remain calm and steadied his breathing. He might not be able to put up much of a fight but he would be damned if he let that monster take him again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Donnie turned the SUV onto a dirt and rocky path. The three turtles bounced around the large vehicle as it ran over rough terrain filled with rocks and deep ruts in the dirt. "Couple more miles up this path and we'll be at the camp." Donnie announced.

"Let's hope so." Mikey said as he bounced around in the back seat. "This rocky road is really bumpy and my butt is starting to hurt."

Raph and Donnie rolled their eyes at the youngest turtle. "Just get us there Don." Raph told him. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get to the cabin and find Leo." Raph clenched his fist.

"We'll be there shortly Raph." Donnie told him. "Will Casey be meeting us there?"

"No." Raph told him.

Donnie gave him a sideways glance. "Why not?"

"Because I didn't call him." Raph confessed.

"Why the hell not?" Mikey demanded.

"Because I didn't want Casey or any cop stopping me from dealing with Jeffrey the way I want to." Raph admitted.

"Raph, if we need backup.."

"We won't need backup Donnie." Raph sat in the seat with his arms crossed. After a few minutes, he huffed. "If you think we need to call them, then go ahead." He muttered. He then turned and glared at him. "We may need them anyway to stop me from killing that piece of s..."

"Okay Raph." Donnie interrupted." I'll keep my t-cell handy."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo kept his hand on the door and eyes facing forward. He swallowed hard as the footsteps began to come forward.

"Why did you leave me Leonardo?" Jeffrey asked, his voice barely above a whisper. But to Leo, in the silence of the room, it sounded like a loud scream.

Leo slowly turned and faced him. Their eyes met and Jeffrey stared intently into Leo's eyes. As he walked close to him, Leo pressed himself against the wall and began to make his way very slowly to the right corner, where, out of the corner of his eye, he could see a broom handle leaning against the wall. "I'm not going back with you Jeffrey." He whispered, he kept his eyes locked onto Jeffrey's, making sure he did not see what he was trying to do. He had to get the broom with his left hand as his right arm throbbed in excruciating pain and his hand still held the cuff, loosely but still ready to be used.

"You don't have a choice Leonardo." Jeffrey told him, his voice raising slightly. "I was going to give you my love." Jeffrey continued to walk closer. "I was going to give you my life. Take care of you and give you everything you wanted and this is the THANKS I get!?"

"What about my freedom Jeffrey?" Leo demanded, his voice also raising in anger. "Would I be allowed to just leave whenever I want?!" He backed himself into the corner, still forcing Jeffrey's eyes on his. "Would I be allowed to just enjoy being me without having you always watching over me…or leave without your permission?!"

"Why would you want to?!" Jeffrey suddenly shouted. "I would give you everything you could want…"

"No Jeffrey you can't." Leo shouted back. He felt the broom handle behind him and gripped it hard with his left hand. "As long as you force me to do what YOU want me to do….you can NEVER give me what I want." He breath heavily and began to advance on Jeffrey. "And what I want is to do is to go … home … NOW!"

Leo raised his arm and swung the broom handle out in a wide arc toward Jeffrey's head. But Jeffrey saw it coming and quickly blocked the blow. He grabbed the handle and the two began to wrestle with it. Leo then brought his right hand up and swung the shackle around hitting Jeffrey on the temple with it. The hit, although weak, had found it's mark and Jeffrey yelled in anguish, he stumbled back pushing himself away from Leo. He grabbed his head and wiped the blood dripping down the side with his hand. He scowled furiously at the turtle.

"You are going to PAY for that Leonardo!" He yelled and rushed toward him, his eyes wild and fierce.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Donnie drove the SUV up to the path and parked in front of a cabin that faced the road. "This is probably the main office." He told them as They got out of the car. They walked to the back of the car to start unloading the ATV and were just about to remove the chains that held the vehicle down when they noticed loud noises coming from inside the cabin followed by a loud pained yell.

"That's Leo!" Raph screamed. Without any thought or hesitation, Raph jumped over the vehicle and ran toward the cabin.

"Raph, wait!" Donnie yelled. He grabbed the handle to the hatch of the car and opened the back. Donnie, along with Mikey, grabbed their weapons along with Raph's sais and raced over to where Raph was attempting to break open the cabin door.

Donnie took his bo staff and, with a jump and a loud HIYAAAA, shoved it hard against the door causing it to splinter. With one final kick, Raph forced his way inside and the three turtles froze at the sight before them. Leo was on the floor with Jeffrey on top of him, in his hands Jeffrey held the broom handle and was attempting to push it against the turtle's throat. Leo was using his left hand to try and push the broom off him while attempting to strike Jeffrey in the head with the cuff in his right hand holding onto it weakly.

When the door busted open, Jeffrey startled and turn to see the other turtles coming in. His hesitation was enough to allow Leo to grab the broom handle with his left hand, push it off him and smack Jeffrey across the side of his face with it, knocking him off and onto the floor.

"YOU BLACK HEARTED SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Leo screamed as he scrambled away from Jeffrey and stood up. "I WOULD RATHER DIE THEN LIVE WITH A MONSTER LIKE YOU!" Leo looked down at Jeffrey and held the broom handle in his hand toward him, he was shaking violently and tears streamed down his face. When it was clear that Jeffrey was not going to get back up, Leo back away from him, massaging his throat gently with his right hand. He looked toward Raph and the others and watched Raph glare down at Jeffrey with fire in his eyes.

Raph growled low and stalked his way over to Jeffrey, his sais gripped tightly in his hands and his teeth baring their fangs. The human was laying on his side in the fetal position, groaning in pain and holding his face as more blood trickled down from the cut. He looked up at Raph as the green eyed turtle made his way over to him.

"Get up." His voice was low and menacing. "Get up and face me you pathetic bastard."

"Donnie." Mikey whispered with a shaking voice. "I think you better call the police now."


	15. Chapter 15 Coming Home

Ch 15 Coming Home.

Raph removed the sling that was still wrapped around his right arm and advanced on Jeffrey as the human began to get up. The two faced each other, both with deadly intent in their eyes.

"You think you got what it takes to fight me you damn freak of nature?" Jeffrey pulled out a very long switch blade from his back pocket and flipped it opened. "Come and get me you disgusting terrapin."

Raph held up his sais and the two began to circle each other. Jeffrey yelled loudly and rushed toward Raph who immediately rushed toward him. Leo watched in horror as Raph met Jeffrey head-on. He drop the broom and quickly made his way over to where the other two turtles were. "Shouldn't we be stopping them?" He demanded cradling his right arm.

"Raph's been harboring a lot of anger Leo." Donnie told him. "After what this guy did to the both of you, he needs this."

They watched as Jeffrey swiped the knife back and forth and Raph jumped back in an attempt to stay away from the deadly blade. After a few swings, Jeffrey attempted to bring the blade down on Raph's head. Raph brought his left hand up and with his sia, hooked Jeffrey's wrist and taking his right hand, grabbed under Jeffrey's arm, throwing him over his shoulder. The others watched as Jeffrey flew over Raph's shoulder and sailed across the room smacking into the opposite side of the room with a loud thud.

"GET UP!" Raph screamed, his eyes filled with venomous hatred for this evil human. Jeffrey rolled on to his front and turned to face him, he scowled and grit his teeth but did not get up. "GET UP AND FIGHT ME!" Raph screamed as Jeffrey attempted to pick himself up only to be kicked in the face by Raph. "YOU WANNA TRY KILLING ME AGAIN THEN STOP BEING A COWARD!" Raph's continued, he suddenly threw his sais to the floor. "Stop hiding behind your piece of crap weapons and be a man and FIGHT ME!"

Jeffrey glared up at him and wiped the blood from his mouth. He scowled and clenched his fist but decided to remain where he was. Raph stared at him, breathing heavily. Seeing Jeffrey did not seem to have any fight left in him, he calmed himself down and started to turn away from him, very slowly toward his brothers and Leo. But a sudden yell from behind had him turning back and his fist connected with Jeffrey's jaw just as Jeffrey was about to bring his knife down up Raph's head. Raph jumped on top of him and began to pummel Jeffrey hard in the face. He got up and began to bounce around like he was in a boxing ring. "Get up." His voice low and threatening started to grow louder. "GET UP!

Raph let out a loud angry growl and was just about to run toward Jeffrey and keep the fight going when Leo intervened. "No Raph!" Leo ran over to him and pushed him away. "He's not worth this." He put his left hand on Raph's face and forced Raph to look at him. "You found me." He whispered, fighting back a sob. "Let's just go home…please."

Raph's face soften and he looked at Leo as though he was coming out of a trance. He grabbed Leo and wrapped his arms around him and brought him into a fierce hug. Donnie and Mikey smiled at the two and made their way toward a very bruised and very bleeding, angry Jeffrey. While Raph took Leo outside, Mikey kept watch over Jeffrey and Donnie found some rope to tie Jeffrey's hands and hold him til the local police arrived along with an ambulance.

While they waited, Raph assisted Leo in getting his right wrist free of the shackle. Leo watched as Raph wiggled his sai along the lock. He looked at Leo. "Brace yourself." He grunted as the lock broke and the shackle fell to the ground. Leo hissed at the sudden pain that radiated through his arm. Raph held his arm gently and inspected it.

"Looks bad." He ran his hand gently along the still very swollen limb. "Is it sprain or broken?"

"Just a sprain I think." Leo gingerly massaged his wrist then suddenly looked at Raph axiously. "What day is it?"

Raph looked at him strangely. "Wednesday."

"Then I didn't miss it?" Leo said excitedly.

"Miss what?" Raph held Leo's hands and looked over his wrist carefully.

"Our wedding." Leo told him, sounding relieved.

Raph smiled at Leo and shook his head. "No Leo." He stroked his bruised cheek gently and lovingly. "You didn't miss it." They wrapped their arms around each other and Leo laid his head against Raph's chest. In the distance, sirens could be heard and eventually a local sheriff's car along with an ambulance rolled up.

While the paramedics took care of Leo's neck, arm and wrists, one of the sheriff, a large Rhino, interviewed him while another, a tall skinny worthog, spoke with Raph and his brothers. After they were done, the paramedic insisted Leo be taken to the hospital but Leo declined

"Do I really need to go to the hospital?" He asked. "I just wanna go home, please." He looked from the paramedic to Raph, who was making his way over to them, his eyes pleading with him.

"Can we just take him home?" Raph asked.

"Well, his wrist are scratched up but they're not infected, multiple scratches and bruises along his arms and bruising along his neck but nothing severe and aside from a sprained arm and possibly some dehydration, there really isn't anything else wrong with him." The paramedic finished putting Leo's arm into a bandage and then a sling. He then looked from one turtle to the other. "I can't make him go to the hospital but he should see his doctor as soon as possible but until then, have him rest." He implored and allowed Leo to leave with Raph.

The two walked over to Raph's brothers who had just finished speaking with the worthog and were now walking out of the cabin. Leo watched as the large rhino escorted a very angry and hurt Jeffrey toward the sheriff's car. The two stared at each other and Leo felt a sudden sense of déjà vu come over him. He watched as Jeffrey was put into the sheriff's car and half expected to see a black body bag to be brought out and placed into the ambulance.

A gentle squeeze on his shoulder brought Leo back to the present. He smiled at Raph and followed him toward the SUV. Donnie and Mikey eventually made their way over and the four turtles climbed into their car. Donnie climbed into the driver's side and this time Mikey sat next to him. Donnie looked over at his little brother and couldn't help but notice he had a bit of a dejected look on his face.

"What's wrong Mike?" Donnie asked.

Mikey glanced in the passenger side view mirror. "Oh nothing."

"Come on Mike." Raph tapped his head from behind. "What's bugging you?"

Mikey sighed heavily and looked from one brother to the other. "I was just really hoping we'd get to do some off-road riding." He told them.

"Oh Mikey." The other three chorused and shook their heads and rolled their eyes at the youngest turtle. "We can go another time Mike." Donnie told him.

"Yeah…" Leo chimed in. "And another place." Leo watched the cabins go by as Don drove down the rocky path. "How'd you guys find me?" He inquired.

Each turtle took turns telling Leo what had happened since the Monday he disappeared. Leo nodded and placed his left hand on Donnie's shoulder. "Thank you Don." He told him.

Donnie smiled at him in the rear view mirror and watched as Leo laid himself against Raph for the rest of the ride home. "We're just glad you're back Leo."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Splinter watched with anxious eyes as the car pulled into the driveway. He, along with Angel, Renet, April and Casey, who was now off work, had been waiting for the last hour for the car to show up. Upon seeing Leonardo, Splinter quickly walked over to him and pulled the young turtle into a hug. "Welcome home my son." He whispered.

"Thank you Sensei." Leo whispered back, nuzzling his head against Splinter's chest.

The girls all gave Leo hugs and Casey walked over to him and patted him on his back. "Welcome home Leo." He then turned to Donnie. "Spike and Slash are going up to Westchester County to bring back Moore." He said. "I think they may want to speak with you…." He glared at the other two and each turtle had to admit, he looked rather miffed. "All of you…about your involvement in finding Leo."

Donnie, Mikey and Raph looked at each other knowingly. "That's fine Casey." Raph clapped his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Just know we did what we did and we would do it again." He took Leo's hand and brought him into the house while Casey glared and nodded at him from behind.

"That's all well and good Raph." Casey followed behind them. "Just next time bring me in on the action."

When they got inside, Donnie insisted they call Dr. Rockwell and have him come and check Leo out. "No Donnie." Leo told him sternly. "I'm fine, I just need some food, rest and a nice long relaxing hot bath." The two stared at each other, eyes narrowing. "I'm fine. Promise." He then turned to Mikey. "Hey Mike, would you mind making me some of your famous noodle soup that I really like?"

Mikey nodded. "Anything for you bro." He and Renet quickly went into the kitchen while Leo sat on the couch. He looked exhausted and Raph sat next to him, looking at him worriedly.

"You don't have to look at me like that Raph." Leo insisted. "Like I told Donnie. I...am...fine."

"I know Leo, but for the past two days you were in the hands of a lunatic and I was scared to death." Raph told him. "So just let me take care of you. Okay?" Leo nodded and took his hand.

Several minutes later, Mikey came out with the soup and Renet had made Leo some buttered toast. While Leo enjoyed his meal, he talked happily with his family and friends regarding their wedding plans since no one wanted to have him relive the recent nightmare. While they chatted, Casey pulled out his phone and walked away from the group. When he returned, everyone looked up at him in wonderment.

"Just got a call from the precinct." He sat back down next to April. "Their sending an officer over to speak with you Leo." He advised. "Do you feel up to telling the officer what happened to you?"

Leo looked at the faces that stared at him with worry and concern. He felt a shudder run through his body at the thought of what he had to say. He felt Raph give his hand a squeeze and looked at him, a slight smile played over his lips. "Sure Casey." He looked at Raph and the rest of them with a timid look. "I need to talk about it at sometime so it might as well be now." He finished his soup and waited, rather nervously, with the others for the officer to arrive. "Raph." Leo turned to him. "I need to tell you something before the officer gets here."

"What is it babe." Raph watched as Leo took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Leo looked at the others and excused the two of them. He stood up and lead Raph into the pantry. He decided that Raph should be told about what happened between he and Jeffrey before anyone else. He stared at Raph with an apologetic look.

"While I was being held by Jeffrey, he threatened to come back here and finish the job of killing you." He closed his eyes and breath deeply as the images came back to him.

Raph looked at him in concern. "What Leo?" Raph placed his hand on Leo's face and stared deep into his eyes. "What happened?"

"I kissed him." Leo blurted out. Raph looked at Leo in shock. "I…I didn't want to do it but he was talking about finishing his job and I…I didn't know what else to do so I figured if I could distract him and make him think that he and I still had a chance, then he forget about you and maybe free my hands and then I… I could get away…get away and come back home….back to you" Leo searched Raph's eyes, looking for a sign that Raph understood what he did. "Raph?" Leo placed his left hand on Raph's cheek. "Please say something." He begged. "Please…tell me you understand?"

Raph met Leo's eyes and he stroked Leo's hand. "You did what you had to do." He said nothing more and took Leo's hand then led them out of the pantry and back to the couch.

A few minutes later, a knock on the door signaled the arrival of the officer. Donnie opened the door and escorted a tall white rabbit into the living room. "My name is officer Miyamoto Usagi." The officer introduced himself. "I am here to take a statement regarding your dealings with a Jeffrey Moore." He took a seat in front of the young turtle and smiled tenderly at him. "Do you feel up to telling me what happened Leonardo?" He placed a recording device on the coffee table.

Leo smiled at the white rabbit in blue and nodded. He took a steadying breath and for the next hour, Leo recounted his harrowing experience. When he was done, Usagi turned off the recorder and gave a sympathetic smile. "We will need you to come down to the police station at some point prior to sending Moore to LA, but for now." He looked at Leo's arm and wrist. "Get some rest and make sure you see a doctor."

Leo nodded and Splinter escorted the young officer to the front door. When he returned, Leo was getting off the couch and smiling at his friends. "I would like to shower now and go get some rest." He told them.

April stood and walked over to him. "We'll see you on Saturday." She told him. Leo blushed and smiled back her. Angel, Renet and Casey welcomed him home once again and wished him a good night. Leo then walked back into the kitchen and made his way up the stairs and into the bathroom while their guest made their way out the house.

Splinter looked at his three sons. They all looked worn and tired but Splinter could see in Raph's eyes a look of anger welling beneath the green orbs. "Perhaps we should all retire for the night." He suggested with a nod to his two youngest sons.

The two turtles took the hint and while Mikey made his way up the stairs to his room, Donnie went into the office to do some work. Splinter now addressed Raphael. "What troubles you my son?"

Raph shook his head lightly. "He kissed him." Raph whispered. "I know I shouldn't care but for some reason, I feel so angry about it." He looked up at Splinter. "I know he did what he had to in order to get away from that bastard..." Raph could feel Splinter's eyes narrow at his choice of words but he didn't care. He was angry and felt the need to smash something. "But I feel so betrayed."

"Why do you feel he betrayed you?" Splinter took a seat next to Raphael.

Raph again shook his head. "I don't know Sensei." He looked down at his hands. "Last year Leo throws me over his shoulder and storms out when he sees me kiss Mona and punishes me for over a week." Raph leaned back against the couch cushions. "But he kisses Jeffrey and just expects me to be okay with it." Raph was surprised to hear a chuckle come from his Sensei.

"I had always liked Mona Lisa." Splinter told him. "And it was unfortunate at that time she could not accept the fact that you were in love with Leonardo." Splinter took Raph's chin and made him turn to him. "But Mona Lisa did not abduct you and take you away from all that you cared about and try to force you to love her."

Raph nodded. "I know Sensei but…."

"Leonardo has been punished enough." Splinter interjected. "Do not continue to punish him over something he had no control over." He gave Raph a knowing look and after a nod to the upstairs, Splinter made his way into his bedroom.

Raph sighed heavily and made his way up the stairs and into their room. He saw Leo on the bed, laying on his side, shell to the door and breathing softly. Raph sat on the bed and stared at his form. "I know you're not asleep." He told him. "I can tell by your breathing."

"I wasn't trying to sleep." Leo rolled over and looked at him, in his hands was their book. "I was waiting for you, figured we still had some talking to do." Raph nodded at him "Well?" Leo cocked his head at him, waiting for Raph to say his peace.

"I was wondering if you wanted to postpone the wedding?" Raph looked away from him.

"Why?"

"You've been through so much and I just figured you wanted sometime to get over…."

"Stop Raph!" Leo glared at him. "For the last two days I was kept prisoner in a basement uncertain if I would ever make it home." He took a deep breath. "And the only thing that kept me determined to get out of there and get home was you." Raph gave him a sidelong glance. "I only thought of you and our love and the moment we declare our love for each other in front of everyone." Leo forced Raph to look at him. "Now what is this really about?"

Raph stood up and began pacing. "I don't blame you for what happened." Raph said. "I know at the time you didn't have a choice." In the corner of his eye he saw Leo's eyes narrow and his mouth frowned. "But I can't help but feel a little angry about it."

"Fine." Raph raised his eye ridges at Leo's response. "You're angry…so am I." Leo got out of the bed and walked over to him. "I'm angry that Jeffrey watched us for over a year and took photos of us doing things together. I'm angry that I let Jeffrey take me by surprise and kidnap me." Leo sat back on the bed and shook his head. "I'm angry too Raph, but I want to do everything I can to get past this and make a new life for us. I don't want to postpone the wedding, I want to be there on Saturday, I want to marry you. I want to put all this behind us and start our new life." He grabbed Raph's hand and pulled him close to him on the bed. "I Love you." He opened the page of their book and showed it to Raph. On the page Raph wrote the last entry Leo had made his own entry noting the time and written in blue: You found me.

Raph smiled at him. "As we begin our new lives together walking down an uncertain road, holding hands in uncertain times, my love for you will continue to grow and I'll be by your side till the end of time." Leo's eyes widen when he heard the quote.

He turned and playfully smacked Raph's arm. "You read my wedding planner." He said in mock anger.

Raph laughed and grabbed at Leo. He playfully pushed him onto the bed and kissed him deeply being careful of Leo's injuries. "I needed something to get me through this ordeal." Leo smiled up at him. "I didn't know we were saying our own vows?" Raph questioned.

"We're not." Leo pushed Raph off him and walked over to his part of the dresser. He opened a drawer and brought out a present wrapped in shimmering white paper. He handed it to Raph and smiled as Raph opened it. "The first one will be finished on Friday night." He told him.

Raph smiled when he saw the book, identical to the other one with a new title: 'THE STORY OF US…OUR NEW LIFE TOGETHER.' On the inside, Raph saw the inscription was the same thing Leo wrote in his notebook. Raph smiled and kissed Leo deeply. "I love it."


	16. Chapter 16 Wedding Bells, Honeymoon and

Ch 16 Wedding Bells, Honeymoon and…..WTF?

The next day as promised, Leo saw the family doctor and, after having his injuries taken care of and a new wrap on his arm, was told to go home and stay in bed for the rest of the day. But when they got home, Leo went straight to the basement to get their suitcases so he could start packing for their honeymoon.

Raph watched in bewilderment as Leo came upstairs with one of their suitcases. "What the hell are you doing Leo?" He demanded.

"Packing for our honeymoon." He placed the bag by the kitchen entryway. "We leave for the farmhouse tomorrow early morning, when else are we going to have time to do this?"

"Leo, the doc says you're suppose to be resting."

"I'll rest after I'm done packing." Leo promised. He was about to go back down to the basement to get the other suitcase when Raph stopped him.

"You're going to rest now Leo." He told him. "I'll get the suitcases and we'll pack tomorrow before we leave." He blocked his way and the two faced each other down, each daring the other to defy the other one.

Leo finally sighed in defeat and turned away from Raph. "You win Raph." Leo told him. He started walking away and appeared to be going toward the kitchen to go back up stairs. Raph narrowed his eyes and watched Leo. He slowly moved away from the door and began to make his way over to the couch to continue watching his wrestling show when out of the corner of his eye he saw Leo suddenly turn quickly and run back to the basement door. Leo was just about to open it when Raph jumped over the couch and snaked his arm around Leo's middle.

"Damn stubborn turtle." Raph said as he threw Leo over his shoulder. "Nice try Leo but the doctor prescribed bed rest and I'm gonna see you follow through."

"Raphael you big bully, you put me down this instant!" Leo cried out. At that moment; Mikey and Donnie walked into the house and stared in shock at Raph holding Leo over his shoulder while Leo squirmed and punched his shell with his left hand. "Guys! Help!" Leo called out when he saw them. "Don't leave me alone with this brute."

They exchanged puzzle looks as Raph walked past them, muttering to himself with grim determination on his face, toward the kitchen, and eventually made his way up the stairs. The two turtles looked up at the ceiling as they heard heavy footsteps walk along the floor, the sound of Leo demanding to be let go and the sound of a door closing with a bang causing both turtles to flinch.

Mikey shook his head when Donnie turned to him with a raised eye ridge. "Huh, lovers, whatcha gonna do?" He shrugged and walked over to the TV and changed the channel.

Raph had Leo on the bed and his arms wrapped around him. "Stay and rest with me Leo." He told him as they snuggled together. "I've missed this."

Leo succumbed to Raph's strength and happily nuzzled his beak into Raph's neck. "Me too." He whispered. They laid like that for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening when they were awoken by Mikey calling for them to come and eat dinner.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On Friday, the two turtles awoke early and, as promised, Raph assisted Leo in getting their bags packed, which Leo was grateful for as he once again found himself leaning over the toilet vomiting before Raph had awoken. Eventually, they came downstairs and found the rest of the family enjoying breakfast. An hour later Raph and Leo packed the little trailer that was hooked to Raph's motorcycle, and he and Leo drove off toward the farmhouse while Splinter, Donnie and Mikey climbed into the SUV and, after picking up Renet, followed close behind. Upon arriving, they were immediately greeted by April, Casey, Angel, their father Arnold Jones, and O'Neil.

"We'll be expecting more guests later." April told them. "We'll be having the bachelor party in the barn around six."

They went inside and Donnie immediately made sure to let both Raph and Leo know that they were to have separate rooms. "You know you're not suppose to see each other till the wedding." He advised.

"Superstition." Raph groused.

"Tradition." Mikey giggled.

Leo gave Raph a kiss. "Just think of me and all we'll do on our honeymoon." He purred.

Splinter shook his head at the two playful turtles and went to his room for a nap. "I am going to need extra energy to survive the next two days." He muttered.

The party was a blast and everyone toasted the happy couple. As Renet and Mikey watched happily, they wrapped their arms around each other and Renet leaned her head on Mikey's arm.

"What are you thinking about Renet?" Mikey whispered.

"The day we walk down the aisle and how happy I know we'll be….just like them." She whispered.

"Not happy like them." Mikey smiled at her. "Happier." They kissed tenderly and Mikey saw Raph give him a wink.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The knock on the his door brought Leo out of his reverie in front of the mirror. He was attempting to tie his bow tie but had been having a hard time due to the splint on his arm and it brought him back to the time his mother, although very sick, had tied his tie for his high school graduation.

"Leonardo." Splinter poked his head in. "Are you ready my son?"

"I don't know." Leo moaned sounding rather dismayed as he patted his stomach. "My pants are a little tight and now I'm having a hard time time tying my bow tie Sen…father." Leo smiled shyly. "This splint on my arm is just making things difficult." Splinter smiled sympathetically at him and made his way over to assist him in finishing with his tie.

"I was quite nervous the day I married my beloved Shen, I even had to have my father tie my obi for me as my hands would not stop shaking." He told him with a chuckle. "But when I saw her walking down the path to me in her beautiful ceremonial wedding dress; nothing else seemed to matter and all fear within me fell away, and we went on to live a wonderful life together." He smiled down at Leo. "Just like I know you and Raphael will.

Leo bowed to Splinter and gave him a hug. "Thank you father." He told him.

"Yo Leo." Mikey walked into the room. "You ready bro? Everyone is waiting."

Leo patted his stomach as a feeling of nausea came over him once again. He nodded and smiled happily. "As ready as I'll ever be." He told him. He hooked his arm around Splinter's and with Mikey leading the way, waked out the house and down the grassy path to the alter. He smiled proudly as he watched Raph looking at him with a wide smile on his face. He raised an eye ridge in curiosity when he saw Raph lean toward Donnie and whisper something to him. He made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Mikey stepped to the side and turned to see Splinter escort Leo up to Raphael. Splinter took Leo's right hand gently in his and then took Raph's left hand in his other one. He then brought both their hands together and covered the two hands with both of his. He smiled warmly down at them. "With all my heart…I am proud to call you both my sons."

The two turtles smiled at each other then turned to Splinter. "Subete no watashitachi no kokoro o, watashitachi wa anata no chichi ni kansha shimasu." (With all our hearts, we thank you father). They said together and bowed respectfully to him. Splinter returned the bow and walked to his seat. Raph and Leo turned to Rev. Honeycutt who began the ceremony. "Is there anyone here who objects to the marriage of these two turtles speak now or forever hold their peace?"

"If there is they'll be answering to me." Raph growled, staring down the guest and causing everyone to laugh.

The Reverend laughed and continued. "Leonardo, before we continue with the ceremony, Raphael has requested to say a few words." He nodded to Raph who took both Leo's hands in his and stared deeply and lovingly into Leo's eyes, and drew a deep breath.

"Leo…from the moment we met, I knew there was something very special about you and I knew we were meant to be together." Raph licked his lips nervously. "You gave me a new perspective to my life; you're not just my friend but you're my best friend; you're my life, my mate and my love, and I will treasure what we have, for always and forever." Raph let out a deep shuddering breath and Leo laughed through the tears that glistened in his shining bright eyes.

The guest cheered and the ceremony continued. They exchanged rings and pledge their love for each other and kissed tenderly. "I would like to introduce to you Raphael Hamato and Leonardo Tartaruga Hamato." Reverand Honeycutt announced after they kissed. The guest cheered once again and Raph brought Leo into a hug and twirled him around and kissed him deeply once again. They then received hugs and wishes from their guest and all joined in for the reception.

"What did you whisper to Donnie when I was walking down the aisle?" Leo asked Raph as they danced their first dance.

"Just told him how excited I was that all this was finally happening." Raph grinned. After the song ended, Raph brought their lips together and kissed him very passionately.

The reception lasted long into the evening with dancing and toasting and cake. Although neither turtle held a bouquet or wore a garter, Leo had insisted on having them to throw to the crowd for traditional reasons. So while Raph threw the garter and was caught by Don, Leo threw the bouquet which was quickly snagged by Angel.

Don had very red cheeks as he placed the garter on Angel's leg, glancing nervously at Mr. Jones who watched with narrowed eyes. He got up to the bottom of the knee and quickly stopped when Angle's father took a step closer.

"This is a sign." Angel wiggled her eyebrows at him and leaned in close before he could pull away. Donnie gulped and stood up, looking at Mr. Jones rather nervously.

"You're next." Raph chuckled at him.

The reception soon ended and the guest waved and cheered as the newlyweds drove off on Raph's motorcycle for Cape Cod.

"How you feeling babe?" Raph asked as he drove along the highway, happy to feel Leo's arms wrapped around his waist in a loving embrace.

"Like I'm on cloud nine!" Leo said and he snuggled happily against Raph's back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They arrived at the hotel late in the evening and although both were tired, the consummating of the marriage was necessary. Leo requested Raph top first. He wanted Raph to claim him and make him his. "No one else's Raph." Leo whispered as Raph rocked back and forth on top of him, looking intently into his eyes. "I belong to you and only you."

"And I belong only to you." Raph responded. They kissed deeply and he nuzzled Leo's neck and thrust deep inside. But he was tender, gentle and loving. This was different for both of them, and on this night, their love making would be like no other. They explored and took their time loving every inch of each other's bodies.

Leo topped next and Raph encouraged him to move his hands caressing every inch of his body. Leo moved his hands along Raph's face, neck and chest. Leo moved his mouth along his jaw before placing his mouth on Raph's lips. He licked his mouth prodding his tongue gently inside. Raph parted his lips and their tongues touched hesitantly. Raph finally brought his hand behind Leo's head and pressed him down against him, rolling him over so he was now on top and riding Leo's long hard cock. They looked at each other with a new understanding of who they were and going to be and their love now reached a new level between them.

They made love several times that night, taking turns and learning a new respect for each other. When they were finally sated, it was well into the morning and now they laid in each others arms, whispering promises of love as they fell into a deep sleep.

Cape Cod was absolutely beautiful during this July week. In the mornings they would wake up and enjoy a beautiful continental breakfast provided by the hotel. They would then go out and take tours and peruse the shops that lined the streets and enjoy eating in the coffee shops and small diners. They would then sit on the beach and watch the sunset over the water, sometimes having a small picnic. Then they would make their way back to the hotel and make love while relaxing in the hot tub or on the bed.

Raph moaned as Leo's tongue worked his erection. He watched as Leo's head bobbed up and down and churred as Leo bit and suckled him til he finally came in Leo's mouth. "God Leo." Raph moaned. "Being a little aggressive there...I like it." Leo made his way up Raph's body and they kissed hungrily while Leo shoved himself inside Raph's entrance, thrusting hard and fast. Raph found himself panting and moaning as Leo took him forcefully.

After several minutes, Leo rolled off Raph and fell into a deep sleep. Something else Raph realized Leo had never done. But it had been a long week for both of them so he let it go and snuggled next to him, eventually falling into a deep sleep alongside Leo.

But as the week went on, Raph could see something more was different about Leo. He seemed to tire easily and was constantly rubbing his stomach. On one morning, he woke up early to find Leo was not in bed but in the bathroom vomiting.

"Leo?" Raph knocked on the door. "You okay babe?"

"Yeah Raph." Leo told him from the other side. "I'm fine, I think I ate something that just didn't agree with me." Raph thought about what Leo said. He thought back through the week and it dawned on him that although Leo seemed to be enjoying the food, he did not seem to want to eat a lot of it.

Raph looked at Leo as he walked out of the bathroom. "Leo?" He whispered desperately. "Is everything okay?"

Leo smiled at him. It was Friday and they had two more days till they went home. Then, on Monday as he promised Donnie, he would see Dr. Rockwell for another exam. So for now he did not want to admit to Raph what might be happening.

"I'm fine Raphie." Leo insisted. "The sushi I had last night just didn't agree with me. That's all." He took his hand and brought him back to their bed. "I'm tired." He laid down and brought Raph down with him. "Hold me?" He requested timidly. Raph brought Leo into his arms and laid his cheek on his fairly warm head. He listened to Leo's breathing even out and he could tell he was now asleep. Raph nervously placed his hand on Leo's forehead and could tell it was rather feverish. Raph held him tighter as a twinge of fear began to form in the pit of Raph's stomach. 'What are you hiding Leo.' Raph thought to himself. 'What aren't you telling me?'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Don looked up from his desk as his new assistant, Dr. Chaplin, walked in. "Dr. Rockwell would like to see you in his office Dr. Hamato." He told him, handing him a manila folder with some writing on it.

Donnie nodded his thanks to him and looked inside the folder. His eyes scanned the sheet inside and widen as he read. He then jumped out of his chair and quickly made his way to Rockwell's office. Not even bothering to knock, he opened the door forcefully and walked in.

"What are these?" He demanded, thrusting the folder on Rockwell's desk.

Rockwell looked up at him and pointed to a seat on the other side of his desk. "You read the findings?"

"Yes I read the findings." He told him. "Are these some kind of sick joke?"

"Donatello." Rockwell looked at him sternly. "When is Leonardo due back." He pointed to the folder. "He needs to know about this immediately."

"He and Raph aren't due back til Sunday." Rockwell nodded. "Are you sure about this information Sir?" Donnie questioned. "Maybe you or someone mixed up the results or…."

"No Donatello." Rockwell said sounding a little miffed that his junior researcher was questioning him. "I was a little surprised myself so I checked and rechecked the findings. That information is correct."

Donnie sat back in the chair suddenly feeling very nauseated. "Is there anything we can do without…"

"No Donatello." Rockwell said sternly. "I've looked into everything and there is no way around it." He stood and handed Donnie a glass of water. "You are, of course, welcome to check and see if you can come up with something different but I believe my findings are accurate and very thorough."

Donnie sipped the water very slowly, his eyes seemed to be in a trance. "I can't believe this is happening to him." He whispered. "Leo's gonna faint."


	17. Chapter 17 SURPRISE?

Okay, so I've got the next two chapters ready to go, for all you jumping up and down in suspense, here it is.

Ch 17 SURPRISE!?

Mikey sat on the couch in front of the TV attempting to watch one of his favorite cartoons, but the constant pacing of his brother was a growing disturbance for him, especially since Donnie continued to mumble incoherently to himself.

"Dude!" Mikey stood up and walked over to him. "What is with you D? You're all over the place."

"Huh?" Donnie looked up at him and gave him a grim smile. "Oh, sorry Mikey." He walked over to the couch and sat down feeling somewhat exhausted. It had been two days since he spoke with Rockwell regarding the information that was discovered and he had not slept since. He looked at his phone for the hundredth time that day and then looked toward the front door nervously.

"What's going on Donnie?" Mikey sat next to him and looked at him questioningly. "Are you worried about Raph and Leo?" He leaned toward him and looked at him intently. "You got those ninja vibes going telling you something's up?"

Donnie pushed Mikey's face away from him. "Nothing like that Mikey."

"Well, why you acting so weird bra?"

Donnie looked at Mikey with apologetic eyes. "Sorry Mikey, I can't talk to you about it yet." He leaned himself against the couch and sighed deeply looking at his phone once again before putting it back into his pocket.

"Wait, does this have to do with Leo and why he's been getting sick lately?" Mikey's eyes widen as an idea suddenly struck him. "Does it have to do with his blood test and that drug his father injected into him last year." Mikey stood up and started pacing himself, his hands clenched into fist and tucked up under his chin.

"Wha? How did you?." Donnie sputtered before composing himself. "It's nothing like that Mikey." Donnie insisted, trying to calm his little brother down. At this point, Splinter walked out of the dojo and watched curiously as Mikey began to get antsy and erratic while incoherently ranting about Leo.

"Is something wrong with Michelangelo?" The tall brown rat walked over to his easy chair and sat down. He looked at Donnie in confusion as he sat on the couch looking rather miffed at his little brother.

"No Sensei. Mikey is just overreacting as usu…"

"Leo's dying!" Mikey suddenly yelled out causing his Sensei to startle and lean away from him when he fell on his knees in front of him in tears.

"No he's not!" Donnie responded harshly. He gave Mike an angry look and was about to continue to admonish his younger sibling when the sound of a motorcycle coming up the driveway took his attention away from his over dramatic brother. He got up and ran toward the window. Seeing it was his brothers, he pulled out his phone and walked into the kitchen to make a call.

Leo and Raph walked into the house smiling and laughing while talking about their trip. They were just about to greet the others when Mikey came running over to Leo, threw his arms around him and began to sob.

"OH LEO!" He cried out. "I'm so sorry bro!" Leo and Raph looked at him in bewilderment as he sobbed into Leo's shoulder.

"What is going on?" Raph demanded as Leo attempted to pry Mikey off him.

Splinter chuckled lightly and walked over to his sons. "Michelangelo…compose yourself my son." He assisted in getting Mikey off Leo and then gave them hugs. "Welcome back my sons." He warmly greeted them. "How was your trip?"

"It was wonderful, thank you Sensei." Leo smiled back at him. "We took lots of pictures we want to share with you and brought some gifts too." He continued as he stared at Mikey in concern. "What's up with Mikey."

"Nothing is up with Mikey." Donnie said walking out of the kitchen and giving his brothers hugs. "Welcome back guys." He greeted them, then looked at Leo intently. "Um..but Leo, I do need to speak with you."

"Okay Don." Leo gave him an uncertain look.

"Why don't you and Raph go upstairs, get settled, unpack do whatever it is you have to do and when you come back down we'll talk."

Raph and Leo looked at Donnie with narrowed eyes and then at each other. They shrugged, took their bags and made their way upstairs. Half an hour later, when the two turtles came back down, they were startled to see Dr. Rockwell was now sitting in the living room speaking with Donatello and sipping a cup of tea. But when he saw the other turtles, he placed his tea down and stood up.

"Welcome home boys." He greeted. "How was the trip."

"Wonderful." Leo told him with a bewildered look. Rockwell nodded at them with a smile and then glanced toward Donatello.

"Um Sensei…Mikey, would you two mind going into the kitchen while Dr. Rockwell and I talk to Leo and Raphael in private please?" Donnie asked.

His father and brother didn't seem too please to be asked to leave but did so nonetheless. After they were gone, Leo turned to Donnie with an accusing look.

"What the heck Don, I thought we'd agree to wait till Monday before I spoke with Dr. Rockwell?" While Leo berated Donnie, Raph stared at him with an intense and shocked look.

"Leo." Donnie spoke sternly to him. "Doctor Rockwell came to me on Friday." He assured him. "He has discovered something and needed to speak with you right away." He sat down in Splinter's easy chair and motioned for Leo and Raph to sit on the couch. "We were almost tempted to call you on Friday and request you come home but…."

"But we didn't see the need to bother you while on your honeymoon." Rockwell took up the explanation. "We decided it would not have made a difference if we dealt with it now or then." He walked over to a briefcase he had laid on the coffee table. "But we did want you to know what was found as soon as we had a chance to speak with you."

"Wait, what the hell's going on?." Raph demanded. He turned toward Leo. "You weren't feeling that great on the trip." He looked from Leo to Donnie to Rockwell before looking back at Leo. They could all see a look of dawning in his eyes. "But you haven't been feeling well for longer then that…have you Leo?"

Leo looked away from Raph in shame. "I didn't want what was happening to me to ruin our wedding or honeymoon." He told him.

"How long?" Raph demanded.

"Since about the fifth of July." Leo's voice quivered. "It was nothing more then nausea and vomiting at first so I thought it was just something I ate and then, since it continued, I thought it may have been stress from planning the wedding and honeymoon and then after Jeffrey shot you I..I thought…"

"Leo." Donnie's voice was stern but soothing. "It's not what you think." Leo and Raph looked from him to Rockwell and both boys felt ice cold fear welling in the pit of their stomachs.

"Well, what's going on then?" Leo asked, not really sure if he wanted to know.

Dr. Rockwell had been standing by the couch but now that he had both turtle's attention, he walked over to the coffee table and sat down directly in front of Leo. The mutant monkey opened his briefcase and took out a manila envelope. He opened the envelope and pulled out a folder. "Leonardo, as you know I've been taking blood samples from you since Saki gave you that shot last year." Leo nodded at him. "I've been monitoring the samples checking to see if any kind of effect has been taking place and up onto last week, they've been stable."

"What happened last week?" Leo asked.

"That shot you were given is starting to react with your DNA." Rockwell sounded apologetic at the news he was giving them. "It was suppose to enhance your DNA but I'm seeing a different reaction between what the drug was suppose to do and what it is doing." He watched as Leo blinked at him in confusion. "Your blood was compromised when you were five years old due to the experiments your father did to you, correct?"

"Um…Yea, I suppose so." Leo said cautiously, he was trying to understand where Rockwell was going with this.

"Had Stockman given you more then just the one shot like he intended, your DNA would have been enhanced right away and you would probably have extreme healing abilities as well as your strength, hearing and seeing would be above normal." Again Leo nodded. "Of course, that's why Saki wanted to extract the serum from your blood afterward."

"But I only got one because Saki…."Leo let the rest of that sentence hang. He was still struggling to come to terms with what his father and Stockman had done to him and he hated to revisit that day.

"Yes, of course." Rockwell nodded and continued. "But because you only got one, it did not effect you right away." He told him. "Until last week when I started to notice some abnormalities beginning to form from the sample I took from this past June, so I got in touch with the doctor you saw the Thursday after you returned home and requested to check the blood sample he took." Leo's eyes looked around the room as the words slowly sank in.

Now Rockwell took a deep breath. "Your DNA is starting to deteriorate." Raph and Leo looked at each other then back to Rockwell. "Had you not gotten that shot when you did, the deterioration would have begun long ago, but the shot kept things together till now."

"But why now?" Leo questioned. "Why is my DNA doing this now? Why not before?"

"Because your hitting you adult hood years." Donnie now took up the explanation. "When we hit adulthood, our bodies began to take on a change and the body stops making certain nutrients and …."

"Just get to the point Don!" Raph yelled.

"The point is Raph…." Don snapped back. "Leo is slowly losing the ability to heal…and…."

"And if it is not corrected soon" Rockwell looked at him with intense seriousness. "You will..." He took a deep breath. "You will die"

Both Leo and Raph gasped upon hearing the news. "How do we correct it?" Raph asked, staring at Leo with fear and concern.

"We'll need to do a blood transfusion." Rockwell explained.

"Well then let's do one!" Leo yelled, jumping off the couch. "What are we waiting for? What do we need to do?"

"It can't be done just yet Leo." Donnie told him.

"Well why not?" Leo sat back down on the couch, staring at Donnie.

"Because." He licked his lips nervously. "There's something else."

"Something else!?" Leo shouted at him incredulously. "What more could there be Don? You've practically just given me a death sentence, what else can you throw at me?"

"Leo." Donnie looked at him. "Have you ever heard of a Kraathatrogon?"

Leo put a hand to his head and took a breath to calm himself. "Umm..yeah, they're supposedly the creature that was brought to earth by these beings known as the Kraang about a hundred years ago." Leo answered. "Supposedly, the Kraang harvested the mutagen that these worm like creatures supplied for their young as food and used it on our ancestors thus making us what we are today." Leo furrowed his eyes together. "But I thought that was just a myth."

"Your explanation of them is correct Leonardo." Rockwell nodded at him. "But the part of them being a myth is incorrect." Leo narrowed his eyes at him. "They are very real and can be found on the Japanese Island Shikoku."

"Okay." Leo replied slowly. "What does this have to do with me and what I'm going through?"

"The Kraathatrogon is a Hermaphrodite." Leo and Raph looked at Rockwell quizzically.

"A Hermaphrodite means it has the ability to reproduce with or without a mate." Donnie explained. "Because they have the ability to change their gender."

"Annnnd!" Raph was getting irritated and it was everything he could do to control his anger over the news he was hearing.

"Leonardo." Rockwell looked at him. "Saki used the DNA of the Kraathatrogon to help enhance your DNA."

"Ummm. What exactly are you trying to say?" Leo asked, feeling another wave of fear sweep over him.

"As I said earlier Leonardo, that shot is having a different effect then what was expected. The DNA of the Kraathatrogon mixed with your DNA not only manipulated the mutagen in your blood but also enhanced your reproduction abilities." Rockwell explained. He watched as Leo's eyes became huge giant saucers as a sudden understanding came over him. Rockwell took a deep breath. "Leonardo…You are pregnant."

Leo suddenly felt the room begin to spin. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes hoping to steady the dizzying feeling. Suddenly, after several long awkward moments of silence, Leo began to laugh. Everyone looked at him in confusion as his laughter seem to start out low and then slowly crescendo to hysterical laughter and tears rolled down his cheeks. "Okay Donnie." Leo said attempting to breath. "That's a good prank." He stood up and walked around the couch and leaned hard against it, still laughing hard. He suddenly stopped and looked angrily at him. "Did Mikey put you up to it? Because if he did it's a really sick joke!" Leo scowled angrily as he began to shake hard. "And you two are just as sick to be a part of it!"

Rockwell and Donnie exchanged nervous glances as they watched Leo shake hard with anger. "Leo." Donnie got up and walked slowly over to him. "This isn't a prank." Donnie looked closely at Leo who was staring at him with daggers in his eyes. "From what we could determine…your blood is showing elevated hormones due to an increase in female chromosomes." Donnie looked at Leo intently.

"This isn't happening." Leo whispered before suddenly shouting. "This can't be happening!" He looked desperately from Don to Rockwell. "Why!?" He demanded, his voice cracking. Don went to put his hand on Leo's shoulder but Leo smacked it away. "Don't touch me!"

Don watched in concern as Leo began pacing back and forth while ranting out loud angrily. "Welcome back from your honeymoon Leo…oh and by the way…the drug your father shot you up with is screwing with your DNA so now your dying **AND** it also made you **_PREGNANT_**!" He yelled.

Suddenly he stopped. "Wait." He turned back to Don and Rockwell who was watching him with very worried eyes. "You said my DNA is deteriorating?"Leo's eyes were red and filled with fear. Both Donnie and Rockwell nodded. "How is this effecting the baby?" Leo looked between the two of them, fear and anger welling at the bottom of his stomach at the looks they were giving him.

Once again, Dr. Rockwell took a deep breath. "From what we can determine, you were pregnant before your DNA began to breakdown and as of right now, the baby, or rather the egg, should be okay." He watched as Leo sank slowly back down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "But until I give you a full physical, it's hard to say if the egg can or will survive." Leo looked up at him with frightened eyes. "Once we give you your physical, we'll be able to have a better idea of what's happening."

Leo felt as though he was living a very long and very agonizing nightmare. "How long before I'm ready to…to give…Leo swallowed hard, he couldn't bring himself to say it. "Give birth." He choked out.

"Well Leo." Donnie began slowly. "We're diamondback terrapins and it takes about two months before a female lays her eggs and since you have been pregnant for almost one month." Donnie took a deep breath. "You should be ready to lay the egg in about another month or so."

"Of course, you are also a humanoid male turtle so it could be longer or shorter." Rockwell told him. "But only by a few days."

"And what happens in the mean time?" Leo demanded with a horrified look on his face.

"Your system is going to continue to break down but from what we can determine, it is progressing at a very slow pace so as long as we give you the transfusion directly after the birth, then hopefully you'll be fine."

Leo looked up at Rockwell questioningly. "Hopefully?"

"There is always a chance the transfusion may not work since we need to wait." He looked at him sadly.

"Isn't there something…anything you can do?" Leo begged.

Rockwell shook his head. "Short of …terminating the pregnancy…I'm afraid not." Leo's eyes shot open and he looked at Rockwell in shock.

Leo's mouth slowly gaped opened and he shook his head as the words continued to sink in. He stood up and began to pace again, his mind reeling with all that he had just heard. He placed his hand on his stomach and thought about what had happened as well as what was happening to him. Life...death, all seemed to be coming at him like a punch in the jaw. As Leo turned and looked from Don to Rockwell, it suddenly dawned on him that Raph was still sitting on the couch and had not spoken in quite sometime.

"Raph?" Leo looked at his mate in concern. He started to walk toward him. "Say something." He begged nervously, trying hard to hold back the tears. "Please." He watched as Raph very slowly began to stand up. Raph turned toward Leo with wide eyes and started to open his mouth.

 _CRASH_

 _xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Poor Leo, there is just no rest for the weary. A thumbs up for all you who guessed the pregnancy part and a two thumbs up for Alex who guessed pregnancy and illness part. Love the reviews, please keep them coming. Next chapter up soon.


	18. Chapter 18 Say What!

Okay, more fun stuff for Leo and Raph to deal with. Holding on? Great, let's go.

Ch 18 Say What?!.

Splinter sat at the kitchen table slowly sipping his tea and reading the newspaper while Mikey busied himself preparing dinner. He had just put six pork chops in the oven when a loud crash coming from the living room reached their ears. Surprised by the noise, they looked at each other in concern and quickly ran out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Splinter came out first and stopped short at the sight of an overturn coffee table and Raphael being picked up by Donatello and Doctor Rockwell from off the floor and being laid on the couch. Mikey quickly walked around him and gasped when he saw his brother unconscious and being fanned by Leonardo with one of his comics.

"Dudes!" Mikey ran over to them. "What happened?"

"Raph passed out." Donnie explained as he lightly tapped his brother's face. "Come on Raph wake up." He urged.

"Oh this is just great!" Leo groused sitting in Splinter's easy chair and putting the comic on the end table. He let out a low groan, wiped his face with his hands and leaned forward heavily, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands shaking it back and forth.

"May I ask what is going here?" Splinter sharply inquired. "Why did Raphael faint? Is everything alright?" He looked from one mutant to the other expecting an answer.

Donnie looked at Leo before looking at Splinter. "Well...uh…Sensei, the thing is...uh...Leo…is…uh"

"I'll tell him Don." Leo interrupted. He stood up and walked over to Splinter. "It looks like I'm gonna need to get use to saying this anyways." He grumbled. He stood in front of Splinter and took a huge deep breath. Splinter looked at him curiously as Leo stuck his hand out and began shaking Splinter's paw. "Congratulations Master Splinter." He told him with a shaky tone. "You are going to be a grandfather."

Splinter's eyes widen in shock. He was just about to say something when Mikey suddenly gave out a loud joyous yell.

"Ah sweet Sensei!" He whooped. "So which of your daughters is pregnant?" He looked from one brother to the other and his face suddenly clouded over with confusion. "Wait. Master Splinter doesn't have any daughters." He mused. He tapped his chin and creased his forehead as he thought hard. "And as far as I know we don't have any sisters." He looked at Splinter who was still looking at Leo in shock. "And I know Renet isn't…." Mikey looked to Donnie anxiously. "Angel?!" He almost shouted, bouncing around with excitement.

"It's not Angel." Leo told him turning away from Splinter. "It's me."

Mikey stared at Leo for several moments then suddenly doubled over and laughed hard. "Good one Leo." He said in between breaths. "But you're a little late for April Fool's Day." When everyone continued to glare at him with a hard serious expression, Mikey slowly began to calm, his eyes searched everyone's face and slowly they widen in astonishment. "Wait…Leo…you're…?"

"Yes!" Leo almost shouted at him.

"But I thought you were a dude!" Mikey exclaimed.

"I AM A DUDE!" Leo screamed making everyone flinch.

He stared angrily at Mikey who continued to stare at him in shock. His mouth slowly began to move and his eyes darted from one person to another. "But how…you're a...a…it can't….can't be…."Mikey's eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head and everyone watched as he fell backward onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Oh for goodness' sake"Leo shook his head and sat back down with an annoyed huff.

"Would someone please explain what is going on here!" Splinter demanded as he made his way to Mikey and propped him up.

"I'm gonna be a daddy." Raph was now sitting up and had heard Leo telling his Sensei and brother what they had just been told. "I don't believe it." Raph looked around. "I'm not even twenty yet and I'm gonna be a daddy." Raph suddenly leaned forward and began breathing hard and fast.

"Calm down Raphael." Donnie told him as he shook his shoulders and forced him to look at him. "You need to be strong now, for Leo."

Raph looked up at Don and nodded anxiously. "Yeah, yeah." He got up and walked over to Leo who looked up at him nervously. "I…I um...oh wow." Raph looked around. "There's so much to do." Raph's eyes suddenly opened wide and Leo looked at him worriedly. "We need to get baby things and...and we need to make room for the baby and...and we need to…to...wait." He knelt down and looked at Leo excitedly. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"How the hell am I suppose to know." Leo scrunched his beak with a huff and stood up. He made his way to the kitchen, fist clenched in frustration. "I'm going to take a nap!" He announced angrily.

After the slamming of the door signaled he was in his room, Splinter turned to Donatello and Rockwell. "Care to explain exactly what is happening."

Rockwell and Donnie once again explained everything that was happening with Leo. After they were done, Splinter stroked his beard and nodded. After several moments a smile suddenly crossed his lips. "I am going to be a grandfather." He mused. His smile widen and his eyes shinned bright. "I am going to be a grandfather." He repeated then became serious. "This is a wonderful news but we must think of Leonardo." He looked from one son to another. "We must do everything we can to make sure Leonardo's health is taken care of." He advised. His face clouded over and turned back to Rockwell. "You say Leonardo will need a transfusion after the he gives birth?" They both nodded. "What must we do to ensure Leonardo and the baby stays healthy?"

"As I explained to Leonardo." Rockwell began. "Short of having an abortion…."

"THAT AIN'T AN OPTION!" Raph suddenly jumped up from the couch and stomped his way over to the mutant monkey. "No one is gonna harm my kid OR my mate."

"Raphael!" Splinter took Raph's arm and forced him back to the couch. "You were saying Dr. Rockwell?"

Rockwell looked at Raphael before continuing. "As I was saying….we cannot do the transfusion til after the birth to ensure the safety of the egg, so the best thing to do is to make sure Leonardo stays calm and is in a stress free environment." He walked over to where his briefcase sat on the floor. "He needs to eat a proper healthy diet, and I can give you a list of what he should eat and should not eat." He began to put his papers back in the envelope and put them away. "And above all, he should rest as much as possible." Rockwell began to walk to the door. "I would like to give him a physical tomorrow. Please have him come in with you Donatello." Donnie nodded and walked him to the door as he continued to give instructions. "He should be examined at least once a week to make sure everything is progressing properly as well as ensure the deterioration of his DNA doesn't take a turn for the worse."

"Thank you Dr. Rockwell." Donnie said as he watched him walk out the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Rockwell bid him goodnight and walked to his car. After Don had closed the door he stared at his family. "So are we all clear on what needs to be done?" He asked them. The four of them sat down and stayed quiet for several minutes. The situation weighed heavily on their minds.

Mikey finally broke the silence. "As excited as I am to be an uncle." He began. "I'm scared for Leo."

"We all are Mikey." Donnie agreed. "But we'll do what we can to make sure he's comfortable."

"Yes..we must all…sniff…sniff" Splinter stopped speaking and suddenly sniffed the air. "I smell something burning." He told them.

Mikey's eyes widen. "MY PORK CHOPS!" He exclaimed and ran to the kitchen.

Raph watched him run out and then let out a heavy sigh. "Are you alright Raphael?" Splinter asked, putting a comforting paw on his shoulders.

"I'm okay father." Raph told him. "It just seems like whenever things start to get better for Leo, the universe deals him another blow." Raph rubbed his tired eyes. "Leo and I never even really talked about kids." He shook his head. "At one point, we figured we'd adopt like you and mom did but certainly not this soon. Now I'm being told that I may end up being a father and a widower all in one day." Raph looked up at the ceiling. "I'm going to see how Leo is doing."

"Raphael." Splinter smiled at him tenderly. "Leonardo is strong, and with you and the rest of us by his side, he will pull through this."

Raph smiled at his father. "Thank you Sensei." He bowed respectfully and went upstairs. He found Leo sitting at the small table, staring forlornly out the window.

"Hey babe." Raph went over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "What ya thinking about?"

Leo laid his head on Raph's hand and nuzzled him. "I was just thinking I would love to find my father's grave and burn it." He said through gritted teeth. He looked up at Raph. "Can we get darker curtains." He suddenly asked.

"What brought that on?"

"Jeffrey was able to take pictures of us and he had a few of us in here making love."

Raph snarled when he heard this. "I'm gonna kill that son-of-a-bitch."

"He's been takin' care of." Leo told him, standing up and making his way over to the bed. "Right now I would just love to pretend none of this ever happened." He laid down and stared up at the ceiling. "But I know that's easier said then done."

"Leo." Raph laid down on his side and propped himself on his elbow. "The doc wants to see you tomorrow and examine you, make sure everything's okay with the….um…the pregnancy." Leo nodded.

Raph stared at Leo and slowly moved his eyes down to Leo's lower plastron. He was just about to place his hand on Leo's stomach when he decided better of it. "Leo?"

Leo continued to look at the ceiling. "Yeah Raph?"

"I know the doc says you can terminate the pregnancy so you could get the transfusion." He watched Leo nervously as his mate continued to blink up at the ceiling but did nothing else. "Do you want to….to term…."

"No Raph." Leo said with finality. "I could never do that." Leo placed his left hand on his lower plastron and with his right, took Raph's free hand and placed it on top of his. Together, they caressed his stomach. "This baby will know only love." Leo whispered. "No matter what happens to me." He now turned his head to Raph. "He or she will be blessed and loved by this family." Raph saw a tear roll down Leo's cheek. He was scared. "No matter what. Okay?" He gave Raph's hand a squeeze. "Promise me." He whispered.

Raph moved his hand from Leo's stomach and up to his cheek, he gently wiped the tear and kissed him tenderly. "Nothing is gonna happen to you." He told him, stroking his cheek. "WE are going to enjoy watching our child grow up happy and healthy." Raph wrapped his arms around Leo and Leo snuggled into Raph's embrace. A warm feeling of peace fell over him as he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, Raph drove Leo and Donnie to TCRI and they followed Donnie into Dr. Rockwell's office.

"Are you feeling better Leonardo?" The monkey asked.

"I've accepted what you told me Doctor." Leo told him. "But I don't know if I will ever be feeling better about things till after all this is done and over with."

"Fair enough, please come with me to the lab."

Donnie turned to the others. "I'll be in my office. Have Dr. Rockwell call me if I'm needed." He advised and left the room. Raph and Leo followed Rockwell into an adjoining room. He had Leo remove his clothes and change into a gown then had him sit down on a hospital bed. Raph watched as Rockwell began to look at Leo's right wrist.

"Looks like your arm is doing better." He told him as he began to remove the splint. "I'll take the splint off and just put a fresh wrapping on it instead. Should be good as new by the end of the week." He smiled at Leo and continued his work. "I was thinking of doing it yesterday but you didn't seem to be in the mood to have any kind of an examination done."

Leo blushed and looked away from Rockwell. "I guess I was acting like a child." He told him timidly.

"Leonardo." Rockwell looked up at him in wonderment. "You were given some devastating news yesterday." He told him. "I think you handled yourself better then one would have expected."

"Yep, that's my fearless." Raph smiled proudly and Leo smiled back at him.

"Donatello did explain to me that you were experiencing nausea and vomiting. Are you still?" He asked.

Leo took a deep breath. "I still feel some nausea but I haven't vomited since last Friday."

"That will end eventually." Rockwell began wrapping bandages along Leo's arm. "Best thing to do is to keep some saltines by your bedside and slowly get out of bed. If you feel nauseous, then eat some crackers before you begin your day."

Leo nodded and Rockwell finished with his arm and then began to take Leo's temperature as well as his blood pressure and pulse. "BP's a little high and you do have a bit of a fever." He mused. He listened to his breathing and heart beat. "Pulse is a bit rapid." He took out a needle and extracted some blood.

"Is that bad." Leo asked.

"Considering your DNA is going through a physical change, it is to be expected." He said as he looked into Leo's eyes with a penlight. "I have some prescriptions I want you to get as well as put you on a special diet. You'll also need some prenatal vitamins." He then had him lay down and began to examine Leo's stomach area. "Even with everything you're going through, we can still try to ensure that the egg will be safe. And giving you the necessary medications and vitamins will help that along."

Raph watched intently as the Doctor moved his hands along Leo's plastron, pressing gently in various places. He spoke gently to Leo explaining what he was doing as he played his hands over Leo's lower region and down toward his groin. "We'll do x-rays next week and get a look at the egg." He told them which made both of them look at each other in excitement.

Raph's eyes narrowed as he watched Rockwell examine Leo's lower plastron. As the monkey carefully made his way in between Leo's legs, he inadvertently caused Leo to let out a small churr which in turn caused Raph to emit a rather loud growl. Both Leo and Rockwell looked at him in surprise and Rockwell gave him a stern face.

"If you don't mind Raphael." Rockwell said turning back to Leo. "That was totally unnecessary and I will not tolerate your attitude. Either please go sit over there in the corner and be quiet or go back into my office till we are done."

Leo, although slightly embarrassed, covered his mouth and hid a giggle as Raph himself turned a bright red and walked sullenly over to the chair in the corner. He continued to watch and he became somewhat nervous when Rockwell's eyes narrowed and he quickly began checking Leo in the same spots he had already gone over.

"I don't believe it." The doctor said in astonishment. "It's amazing."

"What." They both asked at the same time.

"You are carrying more then one egg." He told them.

Raph and Leo looked at each other excitedly. "We're having twins!?" Leo sat up slightly, his smile widen in anticipation.

"Not twins Leonardo." He told them happily. "From what I can tell…Triplets."

"WHAT!" Raph stood up and was just about to make his way to the bed when he suddenly fell forward.

"Raph!" Leo shook his head in exasperation at the prone figure of his mate laying face down on the floor. "Do any of these Hamatos not faint at news like this?" He asked with a huff.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, so as I've stated before in one of my other stories, I have no medical knowledge and all this is made up anyway so please go along with it. A lot of what Leo will go through is much of what happened to me when I was pregnant. This will be in a later chapter coming up so keep those reviews coming. :)


	19. Chapter 19 Facing the Future

Ch 19 Facing the Future

Raph blinked his eyes open and looked up into the angry eyes of Dr. Rockwell. "Raphael." The monkey looked down at him disapprovingly. "Don't you think this is getting a little out of hand?"

"Huh?" Raph looked up at him in confusion. "What doc?"

He sat up and realized he was now on the bed and Leo, who was dressed, was sitting on the chair, arms across his chest and looking at him with an air of amusement on his face. "Oh...uh...sorry about that." Raph rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and slowly got off the bed. As he looked at Leo, the words the doctor had said came back to him and his eyes slowly widen in dawning.

"Oh my God!" Raph suddenly yelled out startling Leo."Leo…we're…we're going to have a baby! No wait…we're…we're going to have three…THREE babies." Raph started jumping around and bouncing about the room almost as bad as Mikey could get. "There's so much to do!" He grabbed his cell phone and was about to walk out the room when he turned and looked back at Leo. "We need to go baby shopping. I want to get baby clothes and baby furniture." He looked from Rockwell to Leo. "We need to get THREE highchairs and THREE cribs and…."

"RAPH!" Leo yelled. "Calm down." Leo put his hands on Raph's shoulders and forced him to sit on the chair. "We're not even done here."

"Oh…yeah…right." He looked at Dr. Rockwell sheepishly. "Sorry about that doc." He sat back quietly and allowed Leo and Rockwell to finish up.

"That is okay Raphael." Rockwell motioned for them to come with him into his office. "I am going to write out your prescriptions and please make sure you pick up some prenatal vitamins." He pulled out a prescription pad and note paper. While speaking, he wrote out the prescription along with instructions. He typed on his computer and printed out a few pieces of paper. "Here is a list of food items you should stay away from as well as some you should eat more of." He handed them the list.

Leo scanned the list and his face fell. He turned to Raph. "I can't have sushi." He told him with a disappointed look.

"That is only for a short time Leonardo." Rockwell reminded him. "From what I can tell, you should be laying the eggs within the next six weeks."

"Wow." Raph breath. "In six weeks or sooner we'll have little turtle eggs and then little baby turtles will be running around." Raph suddenly jumped out of his seat. "Leo, we have to go home and tell everyone! Ah man, Sensei is going to be so excited!"

Leo watched as Raph, once again, began to walk out of the room. He looked back at the Rockwell and they knowingly smiled at each other. A few seconds later Raph walked back in. "Why aren't you following?"

Leo sighed tiredly. "Raph." He looked at him in annoyance. "We're not done." He turned back to Rockwell. "I have questions."

"I figured you would." Rockwell chuckled. "Please, ask away."

"Can I still teach my classes?"

"The eggs that lay within you is using up your energy but you are still fairly healthy so I suppose a little exercise will be okay just as long you do not exert yourself and try to rest as much as possible. If while you are teaching, you start to feel tired don't be ashamed to let someone else take over so you can go lay down."

Leo nodded. "What about tea? Can I still drink tea?" He looked at Raphael. "I'd still like to have daily tea with Master Splinter." He explained.

"I will give you a list of teas that you, along with Splinter, will still be able to enjoy." He quickly typed again on his computer and printed out another list. He then handed it to Leo and then looked from one turtle to the other. "Are there any other questions?"

"Can we still have sex?" Raph asked.

"Well that was direct." Leo said feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"I would hold off on having direct intercourse till a few days, or possibly weeks, after the eggs are laid since they are in a delicate position." He watched as Raph's face fell at this news. "Other things can be done, of course, but we need to wait and see how Leonardo is doing after the transfusion."

Both turtles nodded and Raph began to stand up. But when he saw Leo had not yet moved, he placed his hand on his shoulder and looked down at him in curiosity. "Do you have another question Leonardo?" Rockwell asked.

Leo looked down at the floor in uncertainty, he looked back up at Rockwell then at Raph. "Um." He blinked hard and thought about how he wanted to ask the question.

"What is it Leo?" Raph asked.

"How…will I…give birth?" He looked at Rockwell hesitantly. "I am a male and don't exactly have the proper…"

"Your body is slowly changing Leonardo." Rockwell said gently. "As I explained, the kathraatragon is a gender changing creature and with it's DNA now slowly taking over your DNA, that makes you able to change so now you as well will have…"

"Okay! Okay!" Leo suddenly jumped up not wanting to hear anymore." I get it." He started to walk out. "Thank you Doctor, I'll see you next Monday."

"Leonardo." Leo turned back to look at Dr. Rockwell. "Once we have done the transfusion, everything will go back to normal." He assured him.

Leo lowered his eyes and nodded. "Not completely back to normal." He whispered walking out the door.

Rockwell looked at Raph, his face taking on a serious determined look. "Take care of him Raphael." He advised. "This is a very difficult situation as well as a crucial time for him."

Raph nodded and left the room. He found Leo by the elevator leaning heavily against the wall with his body shaking. Raph put an arm around him and Leo turned and leaned into him. Raph rubbed his shell and let him cry for a short time on his shoulder. He then pushed the elevator button and assisted Leo in getting into the elevator. As they waited to get to the bottom floor, Raph turned to Leo and smiled tenderly at him.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Leo swallowed hard. "I'll be alright." He leaned heavily against the back of the elevator and stared at the ceiling. "I'm just so scared." He admitted. "There's so much to think about and now…I'm starting to get a headache."

Raph brought him into a hug again and they waited for the elevator to stop. They walked out together with their arms wrapped around each other and eventually made their way to the truck. After they got in, Raph turned to Leo.

"Do you want to go home and tell Sensei what we found out?"

Leo smiled at Raph's attempts at distracting him. "Can we go see my mom first?" He leaned his head on against the head rest. "I really need to see her."

Raph smiled and got the truck in gear. He drove them to the cemetery and watched as Leo 'spoke' to his mom, hoping for something that would tell him everything was going to be okay. After about half an hour, Leo turned to Raph and they got back in the truck.

"You all set?" Leo nodded but remained silent. "How bout we go tell Splinter the good news?" Raph wanted so much to have Leo feeling better about the situation.

Leo sighed tiredly. "How bout we wait and tell everyone together?" He suggested. "Besides, I like to go home and maybe take a nap."

"Okay, lets pick up your prescription first and then go home." Raph agreed. "After, I'll call my bros and tell them to come home early and then I'll go to work."

They did as plan and then eventually drove home. While Raph called Don and Mike asking them to come straight home from work. Leo made his way upstairs and attempted to take a nap. But his mind was preoccupied with worries and concerns. He tossed and turned and just couldn't get comfortable. He sat up and looked at the clock. It was just after twelve. Leo sighed and got out of bed. He made his way downstairs and decided to make some tea and see Master Splinter.

Since he did not normally have classes between noon and one, Splinter would normally take a lunch break, so Leo decided this would be a good time for them to have their daily tea time. He picked up the list of teas the doctor had listed for him and was happy to see he had a few of the ones listed. He quickly went about making two cups of tea and walked to the dojo.

Splinter sat at his desk going over paper work. He looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled when he saw Leonardo carrying the tray with the tea.

"Ah how wonderful." Splinter said. "I was just thinking about getting a cup of tea." He pulled up a chair for Leo to sit in and Leo handed him a cup. "How are you feeling Leonardo?"

"I'm fine Sensei." Splinter looked at Leo warily but decided not call him out on the look of worry in his eyes

"How was your appointment?"

"We got some exciting news from Dr. Rockwell, but we would like to wait for the rest of the family to arrive before we share it."

"Very well then, I will not beg to hear it." Splinter smiled when he heard Leo chuckle, then continued to sip his tea.

"What troubles you my son?" Splinter asked after several long moments of silence.

"I'm a little nervous Sensei." Leo finally admitted.

Splinter raised an eye brow. "A little?" He questioned.

Leo gave a small chuckle. "Okay a lot." He said. "I'm actually very afraid about all that is happening."

"You have every right to be." Splinter took another sip of the tea. "You are going through so much and a lot of what you are going through is certainly not normal."

Leo nodded. "Yeah." Splinter waited for him to continue. "Why do these things keep happening to me?" He patted his middle. "Just when it seems like everything is finally coming together, something happens and I feel like the universe is telling me I should not have run away from home." He sighed tiredly. That maybe I should have just stayed in LA and let Bradford and my dad deal with me there."

"Leonardo." Splinter placed his empty tea cup on the tray. "When Shen and I first came here from Japan, I was certain we would have a very happy life together." Leo looked intently at his Sensei as Splinter suddenly looked far away and very sad. "We wanted very much to have children and after a year, Shen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl." Splinter sighed softly. "But the pregnancy was difficult and my daughter was born very sick. After a year and a half, Miwa got worse and did not recover."

Leo's eyes widen in shock. "Sensei, I'm so sorry, I...I didn't know." Leo thought for a moment. "Is that the little grave that's right by Shen's?"

Splinter nodded and smiled sadly at him, he pulled a small picture out of a drawer Leo never had gone into and Splinter handed it to him. "Yes it is, and many do not know." Leo looked at a picture of a small baby in a beautiful white dress. She looked happy and he felt a small tear make it's way down his cheek.

"After another year, we forced ourselves to move on and decided we would adopt since I did not want to put Shen through another difficult pregnancy and birth." He turned to look at the pictures on his desk of the turtles with he and Shen. "That was when we adopted the brothers. They completed us and we continued with our lives. But then….my world was shattered once again when, seven years later, Shen was killed by a drunk driver coming home from work one night."

Splinter swallowed hard and Leo could see a tear making it's way down his furry cheek as he took a shuddering breath. "I began to wonder if the universe was telling me I should not have moved to New York. But, after awhile, I forced myself to push those thoughts away and concentrate on what I had and not what I had lost." He smiled at Leo. "And what I had was my sons." He looked intently at Leo. "Soon Leonardo, everything will come together and you and Raphael will enjoy what you have and everything you are dealing with will be a memory. Some you will cherish and others you will learn to leave in the past."

Leo smiled as he let those words sink in. "Thank you Sensei. I know you're right." He stood up and started to leave but before he did, he turned back to Splinter. "Sensei, would you like me to assist with the next class?"

"That would be most welcomed." Leo nodded and left to bring the tray back to the kitchen. The rest of the day went fast with Leo assisting with the classes and soon the last class of the day was ending. He smiled and watched as his students one by one welcomed him back and wished him good night. He was putting things away when Karia came up to him.

"It's good to have you back Leonardo." She smiled at him.

"Thank you Karai." Leo bowed to her. "Have a good night." He was just about to turn away when Karai blocked his way and looked him up and down. Leo looked at her uncertainly when her eyes fell upon his stomach.

"How was the honeymoon?"

"It was nice." Leo said, feeling somewhat uncertain. "Did you need something?"

"Just wanted to know how you've been feeling. You still look tired."

Leo blushed. "Oh I'm fine." He insisted. "It's just been a long day."

Karai nodded and, after bidding Leo a good night, left for home. Leo narrowed his eyes and watched her leave. 'Why does she always want to know how I feel?' He wondered, he shrugged it off and walked out of the dojo and into the kitchen. Happy to see Raphael and his brothers were home. "Where's Sensei?" He sat at the table and Raph held his hand, the excitement could be seen in his eyes.

"He went to get something out of his room." Mikey explained. "Raph tells us you have an announcement to make?"

"Yeah and like I said, when we're all here and sitting down, then Leo and I will announce it."

"I am here and filled with excitement." Splinter announced. He walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. In his hands, he held a camera

"So what's the news?" Donnie asked anxiously. "Does this have to do with Leo's appointment?"

Raph and Leo nodded and looked at each of them. "Well the Doc says Leo is doing well and after checking him out, he determined that Leo is carrying more then one egg." Raph said.

"More then one?!" Mikey asked. He began to bounce in his chair. "How many? How many?" He was sitting on the edge of his seat in anticipation. "Two?"

Leo smiled and absentmindedly patted his stomach. "Three." He said with a wide grin.

Everyone looked at Leo with wide eyes. "Leo that's amazing." Donnie said, he jumped up and hugged Leo then Raph.

"I can't believe it!" Mikey cried out, tears falling from his eyes. "I'm going to be an uncle to three baby turtles!" He grabbed both of them at the same time. "When will they be here..when…when…when?" He excitedly begged

"Michelangelo." Splinter gently pried his arms off his brothers. "You must be gentle." He gave both the boys hugs. "This is wonderful news." He told them. "Did Dr. Rockwell tell you when you are expected to lay the eggs?"

"The doc says in about six weeks maybe sooner." Raph told them.

"Then the turtles will hatch about forty-five to ninety days afterward." Leo concluded.

"Wow this is so exciting I have to call Renet."

"And I have to call Angel."

Leo, Raph and Splinter watched happily as Donnie and Mikey ran upstairs to their rooms to make their calls.

Raph turned to Leo and smiled. "See babe." He told him, leaning close to him. "Everything's going to be alright."

Leo nodded and pressed his forehead to Raphs. Out of the corner of their eyes, they could see Splinter smiling proudly at them as he took their picture.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Several blocks away, Karai stood at a bus stop talking on her phone. "What have you found out?" She listened patiently as the voice on the other end answered her question. "Really." She smiled evilly. "Well that explains a lot. I'd wondered why he was getting rather round, now I know why." Another few seconds of silence. "Find out what he wants to do. We'll be ready when he wants us to nab him." She put her phone away, picked up her bag and prepared to board the approaching bus.


	20. Chapter 20 Crazy Things and Mood Swings

Ch 20 Crazy Things and Mood Swings.

The news of Leonardo's pregnancy spread fast among their friends and on Saturday, everyone got together to throw Leo an impromptu baby shower. Friends and family watched happily as Leo opened present after present of baby clothes, diapers and baby supplies. Splinter surprised his sons with three brand new high chairs and Donnie, Angel, Mikey and Renet had pitched in to purchase three new cribs.

"I wanted to get those." Raph groused quietly to himself. But a sudden jab to his foot made it clear Leo had heard and the glare he got told him to knock it off and be grateful.

The party was a blast and Raph was happy to see Leo was actually smiling and enjoying himself. He mingled with his friends and talked about how he was dealing with the news of being pregnant. It was surprising to see him actually laugh at his initial reaction but Raph pushed away any worry he had when Leo looked over at him and smiled proudly.

"Leonardo." Leo turned to see Donnie's boss, Leatherhead approaching him. They shook hands and sat down on the couch. "It is truly amazing what you are going through and I must say, I am very impressed with how you are handling things."

"Thank you Mr. Leatherhead." Leo said, blushing. "And I want to thank you for giving Donnie such a wonderful position in the company, he's really enjoying himself."

"It is truly a pleasure."LH responded. "He is exceptionally advanced in both skill and intellect. I foresee him having a great future with us." He smiled at Leo and gave a knowing wink. "Between him and my other interns, it was a difficult decision but I believe we picked the right one."

They chuckled and continued to talk for a few more minutes before Leo was called away by Raph. The party lasted for several hours before the guests began to trickle out. As the last few left, Leo announced he was tired and went to his room after saying goodnight.

The following Monday, Leo once again saw Dr. Rockwell and got the x-rays done. Both Leo and Raph looked on excitedly when Rockwell pointed out the eggs. He frowned, however, when behind one egg a shadow could be seen clearly but he was unable to determine at this time what it might be.

"It may be a part of your body changing to accommodate the eggs." Although he attempted to pass it off like it was nothing, both turtles felt a slight twinge of fear over what it could be. "We'll take another set of x-rays in a couple of weeks and see if anything has developed." He told them. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

They nodded and after a few more minutes, they went home feeling excited about the upcoming births. Raph dropped Leo off at home and went to work promising to come straight home afterwards.

Leo walked into the dojo and watched as Splinter gave instruction to his second class of the day. The elementary school aged kids. Even though it was summer, Splinter still had a decent amount of students in each class and Leo was pleased to see many of them so committed to learning. He waited till the class had finished their current kata before coming to the front of the room. He bowed respectfully to his Sensei and began to take over the class.

Splinter watched proudly as Leonardo instructed the children with patience and diligence. But as he observed his son-in-law, he felt a familiar twinge of fear rise up from the pit of his stomach. The thought that Leo may not be around after the eggs were laid was becoming a growing concern for everyone and he once again found himself praying everything would be alright. As he stood by, lost in his thoughts, a sudden yell from one child, a young brown fox, brought him back and he watched as the young fox became a bit too enthusiastic with his kicks. When Leonardo attempted to correct his form, the child stuck his food out and kicked Leo, a little too hard much to Splinter's fear, in the abdomen.

Leo's eyes opened wide and he let out a loud gasp. His hands went to his middle and he fell to his knees breathing hard. "That was good Timmy." He complimented the young man, trying hard not to show his fear or pain. He slowly got up and bowed to his students. "Let's do some grappling." He told his students. "Find a partner and go through your katas together." He walked over to Splinter who was looking at him with concerned eyes.

"Are you alright Leonardo."

"I'm fine Sensei." Leo told him sitting down and taking a deep breath. "he didn't kick me hard and nothing feels wrong."

Splinter nodded and insisted Leo take the rest of the day off. He then went to finish the current class while Leo went to his room to sleep. When he awoke, Raph and the others were home and Mikey was making dinner. Much to Leo's surprise, he was extremely hungry and looking forward to the baked ziti, bread sticks and Caesar salad. He sniffed deeply and entered the kitchen, smiling at his family who were talking softly. But they stopped when he entered the room and he looked at them in curiosity. "What's going on?" He asked suspiciously as Raph and Splinter watched him come into the kitchen.

"Leonardo." Splinter got up and gently maneuvered him over to the table. "We were discussing weather or not you should continue to teach classes while you are expecting." He had Leo sit down and poured him a cup of tea.

"You want me to stop teaching?" Leo asked in disbelief. "But Sensei….I…I love to teach."

"It'll only be while you're pregnant Leo." Raph assured him. "Once the eggs are laid and the doc says your good to go, you'll continue to teach Sensei's classes." He looked at Leo with hopeful eyes and let out a smile sigh of relief when Leo nodded.

"Okay." Leo said, feeling his slightly large stomach. "I guess it's for the best." He agreed and smiled sadly.

Raph put an arm around Leo and squeezed him gently. "Hey I know, how bout we show them the x-ray of the eggs?" Leo pulled out the small picture and everyone gazed at it in amazement.

"What's that shadow?" Mikey asked.

"The doc says it's might be a part of Leo's body that may be 'changing' to accommodate the eggs." Raph said, putting his hands up and making quotation marks.

"But he also says it's nothing to worry about." Leo quickly added. He smiled wide when Mikey placed a big bowl of pasta with a bread stick and a small bowl of salad in front of him and quickly dug in not realizing how hungry he was.

The week went by quickly and although Leo did not participate in teaching the classes, Splinter did allow him to sit at the desk and help with paperwork as well as observe the students and point out any corrections he saw. All went well until the end of the week when the younger students began to wonder why Leo had not been teaching.

Sempai Leonardo." Leo looked up when little Timothy came over to him after his class had ended. "Why aren't you helping with the class?

"Oh…well…I'm just not feeling all that well these days." Leo told him. It wasn't a lie since Leo really wasn't feeling all that well. But Timothy did not let up.

"Is it because you got fat?"

Leo's eyes widen and he looked down at his stomach. He had not realized how much bigger he had actually gotten. He and Raph had gotten him some stretchy pants for his slowly enlarging stomach but he was surprised to see it did not hide his growing belly the way he hoped it would

"Timothy!" His mother quickly ran over to him and took him by the hand. "You do not say things like that." She scolded him.

"I'm sorry." He said looking at Leo. "But your stomach does look bigger."

Leo blushed and smiled at the young boy's innocence. He then looked up when Timothy's young mother placed a comforting paw on his arm. "And we're all very excited for you." She told him with a gleam in her eye. They said good bye and she led her son out of the dojo and to their car.

After they were gone, Leo stood up and bowed to Splinter. "Maybe I'll go and take a nap." He told him. Splinter returned the bow and watched as he left, rubbing his stomach and looking rather dejected. Splinter then shook his head and chuckled lightly as he looked out the window to the parking lot to the side of the dojo and watched Timothy and his mother drive away. "Kids."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raphael walked into the house after a long day at work. He was looking forward to just relaxing on the couch and enjoying some down time with Leo. But when he walked in, he was surprised to see Leo standing on a three step ladder and dusting shelves.

"Leo!" Raph ran over and grabbed him from behind gently around his waist and tried to get him to come down. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing!" He yelled at him, pushing his hands away. He carefully got down off the ladder and walked, with some difficulty, over to a pile a books and other objects laying on the couch and coffee table. He grabbed onto a shelf and placed his hand behind his back as he gently attempted to bend down to pick them up, he grunted lightly as he stood up, again with some difficulty, and started putting them back in their spot on the shelf. "I'm cleaning." He said pushing his way past Raph and climbing back on the ladder. "No one else around here does it and I'm bored!" He rounded on Raph with angry eyes.

"Leo." Raph spoke sternly with him. "You know you're suppose to be taking it easy." He grabbed some books and began putting them away for him, much to Leo's mounting anger. "You should be resting or napping, not cleaning." He turned toward him and took his hand intending to have him come sit on the couch when Leo roughly jerked his hand away.

"I don't want to take it easy!" He yelled out, making Raph flinch away from him in shock. "And I am tired of napping!" He threw the dusting rag at Raph. "All I do is nap and sit on the couch taking it easy!" His sudden yelling brought the other turtles into the living room. "I want to DO something!" He continued to rant. "I want to move around and not be treated like some china doll that's going to break because I took a few steps around the living room!" He then looked at the Mikey and Donnie. "And I don't need everyone walking around me like they're walking on egg shells!" The two attempted to say something but were quickly silenced. "And don't try to tell me you haven't been treating me like I'm some sort of fragile princess that you have to protect!" He snarled, pointing at them. "Do you think I'm stupid…that I don't see AND hear what you say and do?"

Now he turned back to Raph, tears flowing down his face. "When was the last time you took me out or we just went for a walk?" He demanded. "We use to go out all the time and now you keep me coped up here because you're ashamed of me!"

"Leo…"Raph began. "What are you talking about?"

"Just admit it!" He yelled accusingly at him. "You think I'm some kinda FREAK!" The three turtles watched, mouths gaped as Leo began to stomp toward the back door. "A freak that should be locked away while the rest of you get to go out and do whatever they want while I'm forced to stay here." He was now crying hard and turned to leave. "I'm going out to the garden!" The door to the backyard slammed and the house once again quiet.

Raph, Mikey and Donnie stood stock still and looked at each other in bewilderment. "What the hell just happened?!" Raph asked after several long moments of awkward silence. "What did I say to bring that on?"

"Leo's dealing with hormones." Mikey told him. "Just gotta let him get things off his chest however he can." He turned to go back into the kitchen.

"It's not just hormones." Donnie told him. "Leo's going through a lot and he's right, you two don't go out anymore and we do walk around him like we're trying to be over cautious about things." Donnie walked toward his office. "Go talk to him, see if there's something you can do."

"Like what?"

"You guys use to go to the movies a lot, try doing that or just go to a restaurant." He suggested. "When was the last time you guys did that?"

"On our honeymoon." Raph said.

"That was over four weeks ago Raph." Donnie reminded him and walked out of the room.

Raph made his way to the garden and watched Leo sitting on the bench with his eyes closed and breathing deeply, his hands slowly and gently caressed his slightly bulging stomach. Leo sat by the small pond Splinter had put in back when Raph and his brothers were turtle tots. The little pond now had koi fish and lily pads that an occasional frog would occupy, and next to the bench were two beautiful large trees that Splinter had planted. The larger one when he and Shen had their first daughter and the other when they brought their new sons home. It was their way of commemorating the events and Raph had fond memories of he, his brothers and parents sitting under the trees and relaxing there, just enjoying being a family. The garden itself was large and inviting and had a way of bringing peace to a troubled soul. Raph smiled at the fond memories, he could certainly understand why Leo would come here to center himself and try to find peace, which he had been doing more often.

Leo opened his eyes as the sound of approaching footsteps neared him. He looked away shamefully as Raph sat down and put an around him. "Hey, how ya doing babe?" He asked, his voice low and relaxed.

Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I don't know what got into me." He leaned his head on Raph's shoulder and looked down at the pond. "One minute I'm happy and thinking about the little lives that are growing inside me….and the next I'm angry and speaking nonsense." He rubbed his round stomach gently as he spoke. "Every part of me aches…my feet, my back…"

"You're pregnant." Raph reminded him. "You're not suppose to be but you are. And your body is going through a lot." He placed his hand on Leo's stomach and began to caress gently, mentally sending love to the little lives that were growing.

"That might be but it's no reason for me to be jumping down everyone's throat." Leo rubbed his tired eyes while he squeezed them shut. Raph looked at him in concern.

"You still got that headache?" Leo nodded. "Yeah, and I don't want to take my meds til it's time for bed." Raph grabbed his hand and helped him up. "Come on, I've got something that might make all that go away." He wiggled his fingers and eye ridges mischievously as he led Leo back into the house and up to their room.

Five minutes later, Mikey listened intently to the closed door of Leo and Raph's room. His eyes were wide and every now and then he would put his hand to mouth to hold back a giggle. Donnie walked by and looked at him curiously. "Mikey." He hissed. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like." He whispered back . "I'm listening to Leo." He giggled. "He is being very vocal."

Donnie frowned at hearing this. "They shouldn't be having sex." Donnie muttered as he heard low moans coming from the room. "Dr. Rockwell told them to abstain till after the eggs were laid and Leo was given a clean bill of health."

He leaned closer and blushed deeply as Leo let out a loud erotic moan. "Ahhh yes…right there…ahhhh God Raph….that feels so…..aaahhhh….harder….aahhh...harder….oh my God…ahhhh…right there… oh yeah….oh yeah…owwww….aaahhhh….oh that was great!" the sound of Leo laying down could be heard. "Thank you Raph." Leo said with a sigh. "Would you mind doing my other foot too?"

"Let the magic fingers continue." Raph laughed and Leo once again began letting out loud moans and groans.

Donnie turned to Mikey with a disapproving look. "He's giving him a foot massage shell-for-brains." He whacked his head and turned to continue to walk to his room. Mikey rubbed his head and raspberried him before he too went down to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on supper.

Ten minutes later, Donnie made his way out of his room and headed toward the bathroom. He huffed when he saw the door was closed and walked up to it, expecting to just knock and find out how much longer the occupant would be, but as he neared it, certain noises coming from with in made him stop and listen intently. He frowned when he recognized the sound of moans and churrs coming from within along with the sound of running water.

"Feeling better?" He heard Raph ask Leo after he heard Leo let out a loud churr and cry out: "Oh God Raph!" Leo then giggled. "Much." Leo responded somewhat tiredly. Donnie frowned when more moans, groans and churrs continued along with splashing water and giggles. "I guess I'll use the bathroom downstairs." He muttered to himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

The following Friday, the boys decided they would go to a movie. Donnie, Mikey and Renet along with April, since Casey and Angel both had to work a night shift, decided they would tag along. Everyone had filed in and insisted Leo take the aisle seat as he was constantly in need of going to the bathroom. As the film ended, the six youths waited for the rest of the patrons to leave before them so Leo would not feel rushed.

"Okay, ready to go?" Raph asked as he gave Leo his hand to help him out of the chair.

Leo nodded and took Raph's hand. He struggled to push himself out of the chair and after several long seconds of struggling Leo finally pushed himself out.

PHFFFTTT. Everyone looked at Leo as the turtle in blue sat back in the chair looking extremely embarrassed. "Whoa Leo." Mikey looked at him in shock. "Was that you?" He asked incredulously.

Leo sat there with a horrified look and unable to move. He looked up at Raph, his face extremely red. "I am so sorry everyone." He said looking at the rest of his family while they all giggled.

"It's okay babe." Raph soothe. "Your entitled. But do everyone a favor and lay off the asparagus. Okay." He waved his hand under his beak and continued to help Leo out of his seat.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Easy does it Leo."Raph said as he assisted Leo in making his way down the stairs. "There ya go. One more step."

"I know how to get down the steps Raph." Leo said in annoyance. He walked slowly and leaned heavily on the railing and held Raph's hand to support his rather unusual large frame. He finally made it to the bottom step and slowly walked over to the table. "Ummm. Something smells good Mikey." Leo smiled.

"I'm making pancakes." Mikey said as he flipped a pancake in the air. "I've got extra for you Leo. I know how hungry you get these days now that you're almost ready to…." Mikey turned with a plateful of pancakes and stopped talking when he saw the tears rolling down Leo's face.

Everyone watched as Leo slowly turned to go back toward the stairs. He grabbed the railing and hoisted himself back up the stairs. Mikey watched in dismay and turned to the others sputtering in confusion. "I…I…I didn't mean to upset him." He said, backing away slightly when he heard a low growl from Raph.

"You idiot." He almost yelled. "Why can't you learn to just keep your mouth shut." He was just about to go upstairs and try to coax Leo to come back down when Mikey put a hand on his shoulder.

"I insulted him, I'll go apologize and help him back down the stairs." He turned away from the group and made his way upstairs, flinching when he heard Raph behind him warning him to be gentler this time or he would smack the green off him.

Mikey stood in front of Leo's door and listened sadly to the muffled sobs that sounded from within. He sighed and knocked gently on the door. "Leo?" He whispered. "Can I come in?" When he heard no answer, he eased the door slightly open and peeked inside. Leo was sitting on the bed, looking down at the floor and hastily wiping away the tears that rolled steadily down his face.

"Leo I'm sorry." Mikey told him. "I didn't mean to be insensitive to.." He waved his hands toward Leo's middle. "This."

"No Mikey." Leo sobbed tiredly. "It's not what you said." He told him.

"Well then what's wrong?" Mikey asked, concern. "Why are you crying? Are you in pain?" Mikey's eyes widen in fear. "Should I get Raph? Call Dr. Rockwell?"

Leo shook his head and took a deep shuddering breath to try and calm himself. "I forgot to put my shoes on." He wailed. "And I can't bend down to tie them." He cried harder and Mikey brought Leo into a hug.

"Oh Leo." He soothed, feeling relieved. "I'll tie them for you."

Mikey tied Leo's shoes then assisted him in getting back down the stairs. Leo looked at his family sheepishly and apologized for his behavior.

"Don't apologize." Raph told him "Just sit down and have some breakfast." He handed Leo a large plate of pancakes. "I have to get to work, you just relax and I'll see you when I get home." They gave each other a kiss and Raph took off. Leo then looked at Donnie who was reading the paper. "Donnie." Leo called to him. "May I have the real estate section of the newspaper?"

"Sure." He handed him the section and continued with his article.

Splinter looked at Leonardo curiously. "May I ask what you are looking at Leonardo?"

"Raph and I need to find a new house." He explained. "Now that we're growing…"He looked down at his middle. "Literally…We figured we needed a place of our own."

Splinter looked at Leo with saddening eyes. "May I make a suggestion?"

Leo looked up at him. "Please."

"Why not stay here." He suggested.

"But Sensei." Leo looked at him amused. "We can't do that. I don't want to have the babies on the upper floor of the house and it's just so crowded here right now and I don't want to be a burden to you or the others and….:"

"Leonardo." Splinter interrupted him. "My grandchildren will never be a burden to me." Splinter looked shyly away from Leo and took a deep breath. "I am getting older Leonardo. And although I do not expect to leave this world for a long time, I do plan on lessening my hours in the dojo and eventually retiring. I do not have the energy I use to have to continue teaching my classes but I would like to be able to enjoy my grandchildren…" He looked from Donnie to Mikey and smiled warmly. "All my grandchildren for as long as possible" Donnie and Mikey blushed at the little hint their father made.

Although Leo liked the idea of Splinter being there for the babies he still had a look of uncertainty. "But where…"

"It will only be for a short time." He insisted. "Just till you and Raphael are a little more settled into your routine, and you may have the two rooms down here." He continued. "I can take the room off the dojo and Donatello can take Raphael's room upstairs and turn it into his office and your room will become the guest room again."

"That sounds like a plan Leo." Donnie agreed.

"Yeah, and that way we'll all get to help out with the babies." Mikey said sounding very excited.

Leo smiled. "Okay…I'll talk to Raphael about it when he comes home."

At four thirty, Raph came home and Leo and he discussed Splinter's plan. He was all for it and while Mikey made supper, two pizzas with extra cheese and pepperoni, Leo's favorite. Donnie began making plans to change the rooms and assist Raph in creating a nursery. While Raph and Leo continued to discuss plans, Raph snapped his fingers and smiled brightly.

"Hey I got an idea." He said happily. Leo raised an eye ridge at him anxiously. "Why don't we start thinking of some baby names?"

"That's a great idea!" Raph smiled at Leo's enthusiasm. It was good to see him looking happy. After supper the two sat down and began writing down their favorite names while Mikey cleaned the kitchen, Donnie worked on his laptop and Splinter meditated in his room.

After several minutes of writing, Mikey looked over their shoulders and frowned. "Why is my name not on either of the list?" He asked. "And where's Don, or Renet or…."

"Because one of you is more then enough." Raph sneered pointing his finger at Mikey's chest.

"We just didn't think about it Mikey." Leo told him. Then smiled. "But that isn't a bad idea Raph."

"Are you crazy babe?" Raph said. "I'll never hear the end of it if we name one of our kids after my bro here."

"No, not one of our brothers." He chuckled "I think it would be a good idea though to name our children after family members in a way to honor them."

Raph nodded at the idea. "What family members did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking our parents." Leo said proudly. "If we have daughters, we should honor our mothers." Raph nodded. "I think your father would loved to have a grandchild named after him if we have a boy."

"But there's three kids, what if their all girls or all boys. We should have three girl name and three boy names." Raph suggested.

"Well." Leo tapped his chin with his pencil. " Since we're choosing a Japanese boy and girl name, and a Italian girl name, how about another Italian boy name and an American girl and boy name?"

"Okay but we don't have a relative with an Italian boy name." Raph gave Leo a sidelong glance. "Or do we?"

"My grandfather." Leo said with a sentimental look. "He was always there for my mother after my da…Saki died that first time."

"Okay, what was his name?"

"Matthias." Leo said with a smile. "I've always liked his name. It sounded strong and fierce."

"Matthias?" Raph mused. "Yeah it does." Raph grinned at Leo. "Okay, I like it. Now what about a third boy and girl name?"

Leo looked at Raph hesitantly. "Okay, I know you aren't exactly happy over my Aunt and everything, but I wouldn't mind using her middle name."

"I'm not sure Leo." Raph looked slightly hesitant. "What's her middle name?"

"Elizabeth."

"Hmmm, yeah that's a nice name." Raph nodded. "Okay, I like that one. So have you got an american boy name running around in your head?"

"Not really, any you like?"

"Yeah actually." Raph tapped his chin. "I use to have a friend that moved away when I was about ten. His name was Andrew."

"I like that name." Leo smiled. "Okay, Andrew it is. How bout we tell everyone right now."

They called a family meeting and all were excited to hear the names chosen. "I am so honored you chose your mothers' names as well as mine to give to my grandchildren." Splinter hugged Raph and Leo then wiped his eyes. "I must now go to my room so I do not make a fool of myself." He said with a watery smile and quickly made his way out of the kitchen while his sons giggled behind him.

"You know Leo." Donnie addressed him. "There is a way you make sure the turtles are born a specific gender." He advised them. "I've been going over the internet and…."

"No." Leo looked at him sternly. "I want our babies to be whatever they end up being without manipulation." Leo said. "Rockwell says the babies could be born with…"Leo took a deep breath. "Issues." He looked down at his stomach, worry etched across his face. "I don't want to take the chance."

Donnie, Mikey and Raph looked at each other then back at Leo, all nodding in understanding.


	21. Chapter 21 A Test Subject

Ch 21 A Test Subject

"I feel like I swallowed a beach ball." Leo groused as he and Raph sat in Rockwell's waiting room. Rockwell had just finished his exam and now they were waiting for the results of Leo's new blood test. Raph watched rather amused as Leo continued to rub his rounded belly. "I never realized how quickly my stomach grew."

"Yeah." Raph chuckled. "It seems like one minute you were slim and then next…boom." He brought his hands out as though he was demonstrating an explosion

"Thanks for that Raph." Leo said dryly."

"That's because the eggs have turned and are ready to be birthed." Dr. Rockwell told them. "You could be laying them at anytime."

"Well I do feel like I need to start digging a hole." Leo quipped.

Raph's eyes widen at the image but he quickly pushed it away. "When do you think it will happen?"

"Hard to say." Rockwell said. He brought out a chart and scanned it quickly. "Only Leonardo will know when his body tells him."

"Are those my blood test results?" Leo asked watching as Rockwell frowned at the information.

"Yes Leonardo." He looked at him with concern. "And I am sorry to say, it isn't looking good." He watched as Raph gave Leo's hand a gentle squeeze when Leo's face fell. "The deterioration of your DNA has progressed rapidly." He explained. "I suggest we look into hospitalizing you in case the eggs become effected by what's happening."

"Why?" Leo looked up at him and his face clouded over with anger at the thought of having to be in the hospital. "I feel fine and would prefer to wait till I absolutely have to."

"We may need to induce labor if things get worse." He advised, picking up the phone. "I would prefer not to do that since it could put the embryos in shock before they are fully developed, but at least if you were in the hospital, we can monitor you there easier and if something does happen, we'll be able to deal with it fast."

Raph looked at Leo and saw he was shaking and attempting to push back tears forming in his eyes. He could sense the fear welling up inside his mate and he squeezed his hand harder.

"This is for our babies Leo…and for you." Raph pleaded with him. "If it's for the best, then maybe we should take you to the hospital and get you prepared." Leo looked into Raph's eyes and felt his heart ache when he saw the fear welling up in his mate's eyes that were also brimming with tears. "Who knows." He continued with a teary smile, trying to cheer Leo up. "By the end of this week, there may be three little turtle eggs sunning themselves by our window sill."

Leo sniffed and gave Raph a teary smile in return. He nodded and took a steely breath and turned back to Rockwell. "Okay, when should I be checked in?" He was trying so hard to fight the fear that he was certain was showing.

"I suggest you go home, get some things and I'll make the arrangements for you to be admitted to the hospital this afternoon. That will give you time to speak with your family and let them know what's going on."

"Everything's going to be okay Leo." Raph said as he watched Leo's face scrunch up with fear and tears began falling from his eyes. He brought Leo into a hug and soothe him as Leo tried to push down the sobs that threatened to erupt from his throat . "Everything will be okay."

Several minutes later, hand in hand, Leo and Raph walked out the TCRI building and toward the parking lot. Leo seemed to be in a daze as Raph led him toward the truck. They walked slow since Leo had a hard time walking due to the awkwardness of his body but also because both their minds were reeling with the idea of what was going on. They reached the truck and Raph turned to Leo. "I've spoken with Donnie, told him we needed to talk to everyone, so he'll be leaving in just a few minutes, he wanted to call Mikey and have him come home." Leo nodded but said nothing. He slowly walked around the truck as Raph climbed into the driver side.

As Leo was just about to open the door the sound of screeching tires distracted him and he looked up to see a large black SUV heading toward them at top speed. Raph turned to see the car about to smash into his side of the truck, instinctively he shut his door and scrambled to the opposite end just as the SUV quickly spun around and smashed it's end against Raph's door. The sudden jolt of the two cars coming together caused Raph to hit his head against the dashboard causing him to black out.

Leo watched horrified as the SUV barreled toward them. He quickly backed away from the truck and ran as best he could toward the wall as far away as possible to keep from getting hit when he saw the two cars collide. He heard himself yelling out Raph's name and the sound of metal crunching against metal. He watched in utter shock as Raph was thrown against the dashboard as he scrambled to the other side of the truck. But when he attempted to run toward the truck, he was quickly grabbed from behind and a wet rag was placed over his mouth. He struggled to break the grip but the arms held him fast as they dragged him toward the SUV. Leo's vision faded as he felt himself lifted into the car and laid gently on the floor.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Donnie walked toward the exit of the building. He had just finished speaking with Mikey who promised to meet them at the house within ten minutes. He was just about to call Splinter and give him a heads up when the sound of a loud crash came from the parking lot.

Donnie ran toward the back of the building and watched horrified as a black SUV came screaming out of the lot and down the street. Bewildered, he made his way toward the parked cars and broke into a run when he saw his brother's truck with a smashed in door. He ran up to the truck and saw the figure of his brother laying dazed on the bench seat. Raph was just starting to sit up when the passenger side door was forced open and Donnie assisted him in climbing out of the truck.

"Raph what happened?" Donnie demanded. "Are you okay? Where's Leo?" The questions flew from his mouth as he searched his brother's body and did a quick check to see if there was anything other then scratches and bruises.

"I'm…I'm okay Don." Raph mumbled attempting to stand up. He looked around and brought his hand to his head. "Leo?" He mumbled. "Where…I…I don't know…where."

"Sit still Raph." Donnie said, he made his brother sit down in the truck while he took out his cell. "You could have another concussion." He noted the blood that streamed down his brother's forehead "I'm calling the ambulance."

"NO!" Raph suddenly jumped up and once again began to look around. "Leo's gone!" He shouted. "Someone took him and I need to find him."

"We will Raph but first…."

"No Donnie." Raph ran to the driver's side of the truck and attempted to pull it open. "We need to go after whoever took him." He slammed his fist against the door when it refused to open.

"Raph!" Donnie forced him to turn around and look at him. "We'll find him." He told him. "But first we need to get home, get our weapons and Mikey. Stay here." He ordered.

Raph watched Donnie run back toward the front of the building. He slammed his hand on the top of the truck furiously. "Why the hell can't people just leave us the hell alone." He roared loudly. A few minutes later, the sound of a horn caught his attention and his eyes widen when he saw a rather large looking subway car round the corner.

The door slid open to reveal Donnie, Rockwell and Leatherhead sitting in various seats. "What the hell….?" Raph began as he cautiously walked into the subway car.

Donnie smiled proudly. "It's a fully functioning all terrain vehicle with…"

"Michelangelo named it the Shell raiser." Leatherhead interrupted, he was sitting in what Raph assumed was the driver's seat. "Get in Raphael." He ordered. "We will go to your home and get Michelangelo while Rockwell checks your head and makes sure it is nothing serious." Raph climbed in and Leatherhead got the vehicle in gear.

"Whoa Donnie." Raph said, sitting down and surveying the interior of the vehicle. "This is impressive." He smiled as Rockwell gave his head a quick look over. "When did you guys create this."

"We've been working on it for a while." Donnie told him as he tapped away on his computer. "It's being created for the military to be used in combat situations. It doesn't look like a tank and it can be used as a type of 'Trojan horse' so to speak."

"Why did Mikey get a look at it before I did?" Raph questioned sounding almost jealous

"Because he was here when we revealed it and you were on your honeymoon." Leatherhead explained as Raph nodded in understanding before his eyes widen in concern.

"My honeymoon? LEO!" He was becoming frantic and started swatting at Rockwell. "We got to find him!" Rockwell attempted to finish bandaging Raph's head. "Sit still Raphael." He said sternly.

"We'll find him Raph." Donnie said grimly. "I saw the license plate of the vehicle that smashed into your truck and tapped into the DMV records."

Raph stared at Don. "So who has him Don?" He demanded.

Rockwell let out a nervous sigh. "My rival... Falco."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo blinked his eyes open slowly and looked around a white room. He attempted to bring his hands up to his head before he realized they were strapped to the bars of a hospital bed. "Ohhhh, this is getting so tiring." Leo moaned to himself. Looking around he realized he was in a hospital room and his legs were spread open and tied to stir ups. He was also stripped of his clothes and now wore a hospital gown. A different type of fear began to come over him and he struggled to get himself out of the bindings but it was useless. The straps around his wrist and feet were thick and doubled locked. Try as Leo might, he could not get his wrist or his feet free.

"You can struggle all you want." A familiar voice said. "But it won't do you any good."

Leo looked over to his left where a figure dressed in a black and silver ninja outfit leaned against the wall. "Karai?" His mouth gaped open and he again struggled to get his wrist out of the straps."Where are we? What are we doing here?" He demanded. "Why are we here?"

"Just lay back Leo." Karai smiled cruelly at him. "Everything will be all over very soon."

Before Leo could respond, the door next to Karai opened and Leo's eyes widen when a very large mutant Bengal tiger walked into the room, he was followed by a tall man with dark graying hair in a white lab coat and another much younger man with reddish hair also in a white lab coat.

Leo stared at the younger man and gasped when he recognized him. "I know you." He almost yelled. "You work with Donatello. You're...You're Dr. Chaplin."

Chaplin sneered at Leo. "DID work with him you mean." He responded.

"Why are you doing this?" Leo watched as Chaplin's face suddenly twisted in anger.

"You mutant freaks think you're so smart." He walked over to him and leered at him. "Do you know how furious I was when your freak of a brother was chosen over me to replace Dr. Stockman?!" He furiously yelled. "I worked closely with Stockman, I had all his knowledge of what was going on, more so then that pathetic Hamato kid. I'm ten years his senior and Rockwell chooses him!" His hands turned to fist and Leo feared he was going to start beating him. "So I came to someone who would appreciate all of my knowledge."

"Enough Dr. Chaplin." The other human pulled him away from the bed and smiled down at Leo, with an almost lustful gaze that made Leo desperately want to get away from. He placed his hands on Leo's plastron and smiled with anticipation as he rubbed his hand along Leo's stomach and made his way further down Leo's plastron, almost to his groin area.

"I was rather disappointed to find out the enhancing agent in your blood was not doing the job it was meant to do." The human told him. "But then to find out you were carrying eggs!" He laughed while his hands continued to inspect Leo. "Well, that was everything I needed and more."

"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!" Leo screamed, struggling harder to get out of the binds. He growled as the human's hands gently prodded Leo's stomach and the human's face smiled gleefully.

"According to Rockwell, he could be laying the eggs at any time now." Dr. Chaplin told the other one.

"I don't want to wait til his body decides to give birth!" The human responded. "I want the eggs now! I want to begin testing on them now, start the experiments and begin verifying if the enhancing DNA was passed on to the embryos." He turned to Chaplin. "Prepare a hypodermic needle with Pitocin. We'll have the eggs within a few hours."

"NO!" Leo cried out anxiously. "PLEASE NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" He attempted once again to fight himself out of the bindings but a strong hand was placed on his forehead and forced his head onto the pillow. "Rockwell said if you force labor you could hurt the eggs, send the embryos into shock!" Tears streamed down Leo's face as he was held down.

"Now now Leonardo." The human said to him. "We don't want to make things worse so I suggest you calm down."

"Who are you?" Leo demanded, watching as Dr. Chaplin made his way over to him with a needle in his hands ready to inject Leo.

"I'm someone who knows all about your father's research and I am determine to continue it." He said with a twisted smile. "You can call me….Dr. Victor Falco."


	22. Chapter 22 They're Coming!

Ch 22 They're Coming!

Raph looked from Donnie to Rockwell as Leatherhead drove the Shellraiser. "Who is this Dr. Victor Falco?" He demanded. "What does he want with Leo?"

"Falco was an old colleague of mine."Rockwell began. "We were trying to find cures for certain diseases and at one point Falco decided to try using mutant DNA. As you know, we mutants don't get sick very easily and we heal much faster then humans. At first I was all for it, thinking we'd just advertise for mutants to donate if we paid them but Falco didn't want to pay nor did he want to ask mutants to come forward and donate. He wanted to use DNA from...children."

"Just like Saki did." Raph mused.

"Yes, just like Saki did." Rockwell confirmed. "I told him I would never go along with that. Children are innocent and I do not believe in experimenting on them. At first I thought he agreed with me. I then later found out he was going from orphanage to orphanage giving free exams and taking blood samples from children."

"What's wrong with that?" Raph wondered, his eyes roamed from Rockwell to Donnie. "Couldn't he use their blood to help them if they were sick?"

"If he had decent intentions, The problem was he would only take mutant DNA while also giving them injections with various steroids to see if the blood from the mutant children could be manipulated." Rockwell told him. "While the blood from the human children were disposed of the mutant children were becoming sick." Rockwell's voice suddenly dropped down to a whisper. "Some even died." He took a deep breath. "When I realized what he was doing, I went to the research facility that was giving us the funding and they put a stop to him; had him arrested and kicked him out of the scientific community."

"But Falco continued experimenting by working with the mob and other underworld criminals." Donnie now took up the explanation. "We believe it was through them he found out about Saki's experiments and we're thinking he found about Leo through them as well." Donnie looked at Raph expectantly. "After all, Saki was an underworld criminal himself. "

Raph nodded as he listened. "That makes sense I guess." His eyes narrowed in consternation as a thought came to him. "But the drug isn't working in Leo like Saki wanted it to." He mused. "What's going to happen to Leo when they realize he can't give them what they want?"

Now Donnie, Rockwell and Leatherhead all seemed to look at each other with a growing concern on their faces. "What?" Raph watched them closely. "What is it?" He looked from one to the other. "What are you not telling me?!" He demanded.

"Uh Raph." Donnie suddenly refused to look at his bother. "We don't think he's after Leo."

Raph's stared at his brother with a look of growing anger. "What do mean Donnie!?" His voice began to grow in irritation. "What's he after?"

"We think he wants the eggs." Rockwell told him

Raph's mouth slacked open, he began to take deep breath and put his hands to his head as a multitude of harrowing thoughts ran through his head. "He wants our babies?" Raph's green eyes were filled with fear. "What will he do with them?" He wondered out loud. Suddenly he looked up at the others and his face twisted in anger. "Wait a minute." He whispered. "How would you know all this."

"Because we think we have a spy in our facility." Leatherhead told him. "And we believe we know who it is."

"Well who is it?!" Raph yelled.

"One of our interns who was passed over after Stockman was arrested." Rockwell told him. "A Dr. Chaplin." He explained. "Chaplin was furious with me and did not hesitate to let me know. I managed to calm him down but I could tell he still harbored a lot of resent toward being passed over. Later, I saw him at a restaurant speaking with someone who I am sure is associated with Falco."

"But why didn't you tell us?" Raph demanded.

"We didn't want to say anything in case we were mistaken and if we were not, we didn't want to accidentally let on to Chaplin that we knew." Leatherhead now explained. "We needed to catch him actually being with Falco. So far all we had were suspicions, no concrete evidence."

"So you used Leo and I as decoys to get your evidence?!" Raph couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"It's not like that Raph." Donnie told him. "We were expecting to catch them before Leo was to give birth, but with everything that was happening to Leo, we had to jump ahead and Chaplin obviously found out and took him before we could stop him."

Raph was dumbfounded "Because of you, he's got Leo!" He yelled furiously. "And he's got our eggs! What the hell is he going to do with them Donnie!"

"We think he is going to take up where Saki left off using newborn mutants." Leatherhead said as he pulled into the Hamato driveway.

Raph's clenched his fist and teeth together. "THEY'RE GOING TO EXPERIMENT ON MY CHILDREN!" He screamed out, grabbing Donnie by the collar and pulled him from his seat.

"I promise Raph." Donnie said looking intently at him. "I won't let anything happen to my nieces, my nephews or my brother-in-law."

Raph glared at him with a threatening gaze. "Better hope not Don or you and I." He pushed Donnie back into his seat. "Will no longer be brothers." With that said, Raph turned and jumped out of the Shellraiser. Donnie looked from LH to Rockwell and gulped as he ran a hand down his face. He then followed Raph and ran to the house with Leatherhead and Rockwell following close behind.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wouldn't a c-section be faster and easier?" Karai asked.

"No. We're not sure where the eggs are exactly with in the womb and it will take too long to do an x-ray and even longer for the surgery." Chaplin explained, holding up a needle and walking over to where Leo laid.

"Please Karai." Leo looked over to the young girl who continued to stare at him with a look of pure hate. "Don't let them do this." He watched as Chaplin came closer to him with the needle, ready to plunge it into his arm. He struggled desperately but to avail. Chaplin smiled as he shoved the needle hard into him making the turtle wince and hiss in pain.

"In less then an hour." Falco told him, still caressing Leo's swollen belly. "You will begin to lay your eggs and then I will continue my research." He looked down at Leo's stomach, his eyes filled with a look of strange hunger that caused a chill of fear to spike up and down Leo's spine.

"You can't take them!" Leo pulled at his restraints "Please, why would you want to hurt innocent babies?"

"They are not babies." Falco laughed. "You creatures are nothing more then mere freaks. Freaks to study and test on." He turned away from Leo and looked from Karai to the large tiger. "Go get two incubators. I'm going to want to begin testing on at least one egg as soon as it comes out, the other two we'll keep aside till they hatch, then we can test on them."

"NO PLEASE!" Leo cried in horror. "Why Karia? Why are you letting him do this?!"

"BECAUSE YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" She suddenly screamed angrily storming over to him.

Leo looked at her in confusion. "I've never killed anyone's father except mine and….."His eyes widen and a look of dawning crossed his face. He shook his head at her. "It can't be…you can't be…his…his daughter!"

"He adopted me after he came back to Japan, and I was proud to take his last name." Karai told him. "Got me off the streets and took me in. Made me part of his foot clan and I became his second in command." She sounded as though she was bragging about it. "But it was always you he thought about. You his pet project." She hissed in his ear. "You he wanted to get back to and continue to do research on and it was YOU WHO KILLED HIM!"

"AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN!" Leo screamed back. He suddenly hissed in pain as he felt his stomach cramp up and a pain shot down his middle. "AGH."

"Forget about him." Falco told Karai. "The contractions are starting." He smiled in anticipation. "Go with Tiger Claw and get the incubators." He turned toward Chaplin. "Chaplin, come with me, we have some equipment to get."

Leo watched them walk out the room leaving him completely alone. "No, no please." Leo prayed silently. "Please don't let them hurt my babies." The hot tears that fell down his cheeks soaked the pillow beneath him. "Raph….where are you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raphael was now in the shell raiser with Donnie, Mikey, Leatherhead, Rockwell and Splinter. They had gotten to the house and ran inside, happy to see Mikey had already arrived. Upon disrupting Splitner's class by running in and grabbing weapons, Splinter decided to cancel the rest of the class as well as any others he had for the rest of the day due to…as he told the parents…a family emergency, which he decided, was as close to the truth as he wanted to give.

He followed his sons and the other mutants to the strange vehicle demanding to know what was happening. After a full explanation, Splinter let Donnie, as well as the others, know his disappointment in their decision to place Leo and Raph in such a dangerous position.

"How could you do that D…?" Mikey asked dumbfounded.

"It wasn't like we wanted them to take Leo." Donnie defended.

"We just weren't prepared for everything to happen as quickly as it did." Rockwell explained. "I don't think they were either."

"It doesn't matter." Raph told them angrily. "We trusted you and you used us."

"It wasn't like that Raph." Donnie again tried to explain. "We weren't trying…."

"That is enough." Splinter placed his hand on Raph. "We need to get to Leonardo…and pray they have not harmed him or the eggs."

"I put a tracer on Chaplin's cell phone." Donnie told them. "He's at Falco's laboratory and we should be there in twenty minutes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Aaaauuuuggghhh!" Leo cried out as another contraction hit him hard. "Please, you can't take my babies!" He pleaded to Falco, still attempting to get himself out of his bindings. Sweat poured down his face and body with every minute that past by. He watched as Karai and the large mutant known as Tiger Claw brought in two incubators while Chaplin brought a table with surgical equipment into the room and was placed beside Leo's bed.

"What are those?" Leo asked horrified. "Why do you need those?"

"They are for the last egg that comes out." Falco told him with an evil smile. He placed his hand on Leo's swollen belly and hummed. "Possibly another thirty minutes, maybe a little longer." He noted as his hands moved down along Leo's plastron. He then placed a hand on Leo's cheek. "Don't worry." He told him almost seductively. "You will get to see all your eggs before I dispose of you."

Leo shook the hand off and growled. "You are gonna regret even laying one finger on me let alone my eggs!" He threatened.

Falco laughed and put his hand back on Leo's face. He grabbed his chin in between his fingers and brought his face within inches of Leo's. "If you think your family and friends are going to rescue you, think again." He sneered as he hovered above Leo. "We'll be long gone before they realize where you are, and you….will be dead."

Leo bared his fangs and before Falco could remove his hand, Leo managed to grab his hand in between his teeth and bit hard causing the human to scream. Angered by the assault, Falco backhanded Leo and then turned away from him. He walked over to a counter, opened a drawer and took out some bandages. After he was done cleaning and bandaging his hand, he tuned back to Leo. "On second thought, I'll keep you alive long enough so you can watch me slice into the first one." He sneered at him. "Then I'll slice into you." He turned and walked out the door.

"Not smart Leo." Karai told him. She leaned back with a smirk. Looking as though she was thoroughly enjoying the turtle's pain. "But maybe he'll let me dispose of you the way you disposed of my father." She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to him.

"I never got to say goodbye to my father because of you." She spoke with a harsh whisper. "But watching you suffer like this….makes up for it."

Leo watched her go back to the wall and lean against it once again. "At least he cared about you." He told her. "At least you weren't brought into this world because a parent only wanted you for research." He bit back a scream as another contraction hit him. He breath deeply and laid his head against the pillow and panted hard. "At least he was proud of you and gave you a heritage…and his name." Silent tears fell down his cheeks while Karai turned away from him.


	23. Chapter 23 Full Circle

Ch 23 Full Circle.

"Hurry up LH!" Raph yelled. He sat in his seat watching the large mutant alligator drive the Shellraiser through downtown New York. The desperation in his voice was only echoed by the loudness of the tires screeching on the road as it dodge around cars and pedestrians attempting to cross the street.

Within twenty minutes, they pulled up to an old brick building and parked the Shellraiser around the corner. Raphael was just about to jump out when Splinter held him back. "We must asses the situation." He advised. He then turned toward Donatello and Rockwell. "What do we know of his security system."

"I've worked with him and have been inside his lab several times."Rockwell said. "He has several security cameras along the roof and some inside as well."

"Donnie." Mikey turned to him. "Can you hack into the security cameras like you did that one time with TCRI?"

"I can but it will take some time" Donnie said.

"We don't have time!" Raph insisted.

"I don't have the security information like I did with TCRI." Donnie told him and began typing away on his computer, concentrating hard on trying to get the information.

"Well I can take care of the outside cameras." Raph said and began climbing up and out the hatch of the Shellraiser. Everyone watched as he opened the hatch and stuck his head out. They looked at each other in bewilderment as Raph began making what sounded like cooing noises.

"What's he doing?" Mikey wondered.

Splinter gave a slight chuckle. "Your brother always did have a way with animals."

"I don't believe it?" Leatherhead said, pointing out the windshield. Everyone gasped as they saw at least a dozen birds fly to the roof top of Falco's lab and land in various places. A few seconds later, Raph climbed back down to the floor.

"Okay, that takes care of the outside cameras." He told them. "Now let's go get my mate." He was once again just about to step outside when once again, a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Now what!?" He demanded, turning defiant eyes on his Sensei.

"It will do your mate nor us any good if we get inside only to get caught." Splinter told him with a stern but gentle voice. "You must have patience my son." He took a deep breath. "Everything will be okay as long as you focus on the goal ahead of you."

Raph took a deep breath and waited. The seconds ticked by, the silence broken only by Donnie's constant taping. "I'm in!" Donnie yelled excitedly. "Falco's lab is on the third floor so I only need to disable the cameras on that floor and the one above it annnnnd…."Donnie pushed a few more buttons. "It's done." Donnie smiled proudly. "Like a turtle do." He said smugly.

"That's great D…" Mikey said pushing him out of the way. "Now let's go."

Everyone but Rockwell, who they decided would stay with the Shellraiser and be the 'get away' driver, rushed out of the vehicle and made their way up to the roof of the building they were parked next to. They quickly and carefully jumped across to the building where Falco's lab was and found a skylight unlocked. Raph, being the last one to go in, patted a pigeon's head and nodded to it, signaling to the bird to take off which it did.

Raph joined the others in the hallway and they found a door leading to a stairwell. They quickly made their way down to the third floor and Splinter cautiously opened the door. He looked out to see no one in the hall. The five mutants, lead by Donatello, began to make their way down the hallway As they rounded one corner they were startled to see two tall men dressed head to foot in dark ninja clothes.

Immediately, Raph and Donnie jumped out and quickly engaged the two ninja in battle. The ninja were good, but they were better and the fight did not last too long. But as Raph backed his ninja into a corner, the ninja ducked a swing of Raph's sai and quickly slammed his hand against a fire alarm on the wall. Instantly, a blaring alarm sounded throughout the building.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Inside the room where Leo was being kept, Falco was sitting at the end of the bed waiting for the first egg to be birth. Leo was on the bed panting and moaning. He clenched his teeth and brought his tail up against his entrance, fighting his own body in an attempt to not let the eggs come out. "You can't have my babies." He said through gritted teeth. "I won't let you."

At that moment, the sound of the fire alarm went off startling the occupants of the room. "Karai, TigerClaw." Falco shouted at them."Take your foot soldiers and go see what's going on." He turned to Chaplin. "How far apart are the contractions?"

"It could be the cub's family coming to get him." Tiger Claw stated. "Stay alert." Karai nodded and together they left the room.

"About five minutes apart." Chaplin answered..

He looked at Leo in anger. "Maybe I should just rip you open and take them. It was clear he was getting apprehensive about what might be going outside the lab.

"No..no please." Leo panted. "I….wont' let …you take…my babies!" He let out another scream as a contraction ripped through him. He fought the urge to sit up and push down on his stomach as the need to push the first egg out racked his body. Something told him the sudden alarm was Raph and the rest of the family coming to his aid and he was determined not to give Falco what he wanted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Out in the hallway, the blaring of the alarm was cut through with a sudden pained screamed. "Leo!" Raph yelled out and began to run down the hall and toward the room where he determined the sound was coming from. The five mutants rounded another corner and stopped in their tracks when they saw a large tiger standing before them.

Splinter's mouth gaped open when his eyes fell on the young woman next to the tiger. "Tanaka Karai?"

"It's Oroku Karai." She sneered and with a loud yell, took out her tanto blade and ran toward him.

"Easy there kitty." Mikey said backing slowly away as the large tiger advanced on him and Donnie. Behind both the tiger and Karai they could see several more ninjas coming toward them.

"The name is Tiger Claw." The large cat roared. He brought out his claws. "Foot!" He yelled. "Attack!"

Karai had managed to push Splinter back toward the wall, out of the corner of her eye she saw Raph trying to get around the ninja. She threw a back kick toward Splinter and ran toward Raph.

"I don't have time for this!" Raph yelled out as he charged into the fray of ninja and another loud scream pierced the air. "I have to get to Leo!"

"You can forget about your mate." Karai sneered jumping away from Splinter and suddenly blocking his path. "He'll be done laying the eggs soon and Falco will make sure you and your mate will never be together again."

At that statement, Raph saw red. He ran straight for her while at the same moment Splinter ran toward her as well. She attempted to flip over Raph and have him run right into Splinter, but both saw it coming and while Splinter jumped up to force her down, Raph slid underneath and continued to run toward the room where he heard Leo's cries coming from.

"Raphael." Splinter yelled out as he grappled with Karai. "You and Leatherhead, get to Leonardo and get him out of here. We will hold off the rest of these ninja!"

"I don't think so!" Tiger Claw yelled out. He grabbed Donnie and Mikey and threw them against each other before throwing them against the wall. He then quickly turned and began to run toward Raph.

Out of the corner of his eye, Splinter saw his sons being tossed about by the large tiger. He grabbed Karai and pushed her against a door that led to a stairwell causing Karai to fall down the large flight of stairs. He then jumped in front of Tiger Claw. "You may get past my sons but you will not get by me!"

Tiger Claw sneered at the large rat. "Hamato Yoshi." They began to circle each other. "I have heard much about you. Let's see if what they say is true."

At least a dozen ninja seemed to be in his way, but Raph was determined nothing would get in the way of him getting to that door and to Leo. He was just about to charge at the ninja when a loud roar from Leatherhead sounded behind him. The large gator jumped over Raph and began rolling around on the floor barreling into the ninja causing the ones that weren't in his path to leap to the side and away from the door while the rest were slammed against the door and wall and knocked unconscious.

"Thanks LH." Raph grinned. The two mutants ran toward the door and kicked it opened. Immediately, Raph's anger reached an all time high when he saw Leo laying on a hospital bed, chained at the wrist and feet, his legs spread open and Falco sitting in between them waiting for Leonardo to bring forth the first egg. His eyes went white and his face immediately turned a bright red.

"ARRRRR!" Raph screamed and ran toward Falco who immediately jumped away from Leo before Raph could slice his sai into the human's head. "GET AWAY FROM MY MATE!" His protective instincts were in full swing as he swung his sias wildly at Falco.

Leatherhead jumped in front of Chaplin and glared at him causing the young scientist to back away in fear and out the door. A yell from Leo caused the mutant alligator to turn toward him.

"Raph!" Leo called out through gritted teeth. "Leatherhead stop him." Leo watched as Raph furiously attacked Falco with crazy wild throws. No direction, no thought went into what he was doing. He just attacked with only one thought desperately going through his head:KILL. He fianlly managed to connect his left hand with Falco's chin and managed to knock the mad scientist to the ground with the butt of his sai.

Leatherhead grabbed Raph before he could start pummeling him. "We need to get Leonardo to the hospital." He urged.

Raph sheathed his sais and stood up and ran over to Leo."How you doing babe?"

Leo gritted his teeth. "Contractions about five minutes apart…aaagghhh…maybe closer."Raph quickly undid Leo's right wrist while Leatherhead worked on his right foot. They were just about to work on the other restraints when the door once again burst open and four ninjas ran in.

"I'll take care of them."Leatherhead told them. "Get Leonardo out of here."

Before Raph could respond, Falco jumped up and grabbed at Raphael from behind using his belt, forced it around his neck, choking him. Leo looked at the the battles that raged around him, he quickly undid the bindings on his left wrist and foot, and, fighting the pain that continued to grip his lower plastron, Leo grabbed the scalpel on the table beside his bed.

Raph was struggling with Falco and the two now had their backs to Leo. Neither saw Leo running up to Falco and stabbing him with the scalpel in the back of the neck. Leo staggered back as another wave of pain hit. Raph turned when he felt the belt release and fall from his neck. He saw Falco fall onto his knees, a look of surprise in his eyes and his hand pulling the scalpel out of his neck. He let the knife fall and stare up at Raph as he wavered for a few seconds before falling face first onto the floor, blood spilling from the wound profusely.

Raph and Leo looked at each other. "You okay?" Leo asked. Raph nodded. "Good, cause I'm not." Leo said as his face grimaced in pain while he leaned heavily on the bed.

Raph ran over and put his arm around Leo's shell while putting Leo's right arm across his shoulder. Together they made their way to the door and out into the hallway where they saw Donnie and Mikey now battling Karai and Leatherhead flinging his large arms catching foot soldiers within them and throwing them against the wall. Splinter and the large tiger were no where to be seen.

"We have to get out of here." Leo gasped. "I don't know how much longer I've got."

"Don't worry, we'll get you to the hospital before the first egg arrives." Raph assured him. The two attempted to get past the battle scene but another contraction had Leo doubling over in pain. The scream he let out got karai's attention, she did a flip over Mikey and smacked Donnie in the head with her foot then turned and pushed Mikey against the wall hard. She then turned toward raph and held her blade up. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth curved in a vicious smirk. With a loud yell, she ran toward the two turtles and swung her sword toward their heads.

When Raph saw Karai coming at him, he pushed Leo to the side and brought his sais up to block the tanto blade coming down on him. As the sword came down, Karai's foot shot out and caught Raph in the middle of his plastron, the force of the kick caused him to fall back into the room. She quickly closed the door then turned to Leo and slowly stalked toward him, her blade swinging menacingly.

"I am going to slowly rip you open and tear those eggs out of you." Her voice low and dark.

Leo panted hard and backed away from her. "Karia, don't do this." He begged. His breath coming gasps. "I've seen the real you and this isn't it."

"You know nothing!" She yelled. "All you know is what I've wanted you to know." She held the tanto blade up again and began to stalk toward him. "I'm going to enjoy listening to you scream."

At that moment, a loud familiar yell sounded from behind her. "GOONGALA!" Karai looked up just as a boot smacked right into her face.

"Casey!" Leo gasped. The door to the room opened and Raph stepped out, holding his head.

"Casey?" He shook his head trying to clear the cob webs. "What are you doing here?"

"I've told you not to leave me out of the action!" Casey yelled. "Rockwell called the police, their on the way."

"Raphael!" Leatherhead came running back to the group, having disposed of the ninja. He grabbed Leo in his arms before anyone could say another word and picked him up bridal style. "We must get Leonardo to the Shellraiser."

Donnie and Mikey sat up groaning and looked around. "Uhhh, did we win?" Mikey groaned.

"Not sure." Donnie said, squinting through the pain. "We're there always two of everyone?"

"Guys, we need to get out of here!" Raph yelled and followed Leatherhead out of the building.

"Anyone know where Sensei is?" Donnie asked anxiously.

"On the roof!" Leatherhead said. "He is still fighting the large tiger."

"We got to help him." Mikey cried his eyes searching the rooftop..

"I'll help him after we get Leonardo to the vehicle." Leatherhead volunteered. They made their way out of the building where dozens of foot soldiers, along with Dr. Chaplin, were being rounded up by several police officers.

"Ya want me ta call for an ambulance?" Casey asked.

"No time….the eggs are…coming!" Leo said, the pain in his face showed clearly as he panted and attempted to take deep breath.

"The Shellraiser will get him there just as fast." Donnie declared.

They made it to the shellraiser and quickly climbed in. After Leatherhead laid Leo down on the floor, he jumped out and ran to help Splinter while Rockwell put the pedal to the medal and drove the ten minutes to the hospital.

Tears rolled down Leo's face as he sobbed uncontrollably with every contraction that hit him. "I'm sorry Raph." Leo told him in between hard pants and pained sobs.

"Nothing to be sorry about." Raph soothe ."We'll get you to the hospital and everything's going to be okay."

"But I'm not ready." Leo cried and suddenly let out another loud scream. "AAAUUGGHHH. I can feel the first egg!" He yelled. Raph grabbed his hand and Leo squeezed it hard. "IT'S COMING!"

"Can you hold it in?" Mikey asked. "OW!" He rubbed his head after being smacked by Donnie.

"Thanks Don." Raph said, growling at Mikey.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Splinter stared intently at the door to the delivery room. With every pained scream that sounded from within it, he would feel his heart ache. He clenched his jaw and squeezed gently the hand of Michelangelo who sat next to him on his left side. On his right, Renet sat by him and rubbed his paw tenderly. With every passing moment, the anxiety in the waiting room grew and every scream took Splinter back to the day his wife gave birth to their baby girl. And with every cry that followed, his mind would remember his wife, crying by the little grave that was their daughter.

The fight with Tiger Claw left him drained but his determination to be there for his sons' gave him the resolve he needed to dispose of the large tiger quickly. With Leatherhead's help, he managed to push the tiger off the roof and onto the street where the police quickly took control of him. And thanks to Casey, the ride in the police car got both mutants to the hospital in record time.

Donatello continued to pace back and forth, stopping only to look at the door when he heard Leo cry out. Every now and then, his eyes would search the hallways and hope to see Angel coming off her shift and hopefully she would be able to go into the room and get news of Leo, but so far she had yet to show.

Mikey sat anxiously waiting to hear that everything was okay. He looked forward to seeing the eggs and having little baby turtles to play with but the thought that Leo may not be there to enjoy watching his children play and grow scared him something awful. He looked to the side of him and saw Renet, tears streaming down her face with every pain filled cry that emanated from the room in front of them. Behind them sat a very stoic Leatherhead, and April and Casey held each other. Everyone waited patiently for Raph to come out of the delivery room to let them know how things were going.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on Leonardo." Rockwell coaxed. "Just a few more pushes and the last egg will be here."

"AAAGGGHHHH." Leo used his left hand to grab his knee and push his body forward. Raph sat behind him, helping him sit up and push. Leo was sweating profusely and Raph could see he was beyond exhausted. Raph's eyes roamed over to the side where two small turtle eggs sat in their own incubators, a third was still waiting for it's occupant and both Leo and Raph would be grateful when it finally arrived. Leo fell back against Raph's arm and Raph laid him gently against the bed.

"I can't do this anymore." Leo whimpered. "How much longer?"

"We're almost there." Rockwell informed him as he placed his finger inside Leo's slit. "I'm going to need you to push one more time."

"No!" Leo suddenly yelled as a contraction hit him. "I can't, I'm so tired!"

"It's okay Leo." Raph said. "I've got you."

Leo took several deep breaths and forced himself upward with Raph's help. Another loud yell and scream sounded as the third egg finally made it's way free. "Oh God Leo!" Raph cried when he saw the third egg in Rockwell's hand "Three eggs, they're so beautiful!"

Leo laid his head back and panted hard. He was just about to close his eyes when another pain shot through him. He grabbed Raph's hand again and grimaced in pain. Raph let out a pained gasp when he felt Leo squeeze his hand. "Leo?" He cried out. "What the hell are you doing/"

"PUSHING!" Leo screamed at him as another pained yell escaped his throat.

"WHY?!" Raph asked when Leo laid back down panting.

"BECAUSE I LOVED IT SO MUCH THE FIRST THREE TIMES I THOUGHT I'D DO IT AGAIN!" Leo yelled. "WHY DO YOU THINK!"

"There's a fourth egg!" Rockwell quickly ran back to the bed and got himself in between Leo's legs and waited for the fourth egg to appear.

"A..a..annnother." Raph stammered. Leo felt his hand suddenly start to give away.

"DAMN IT RAPH!" Leo said through gritted teeth as he fought to muster what little strength he had left. "If you pass out on me again I'm never going to speak to you for the REST OF OUR LIVES! AAAGGGHHH"

Raph shook his head and took deep breaths. "I'm here..I'm here." He helped Leo once again to sit up and push the egg out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Splinter, Donatello, Michelangelo, Renet, April, Casey and Leatherhead looked up when the door to the delivery room finally opened. Angel was just joining them and turned to see a very pale and shocked Raphael coming out the door followed by a nurse making her way quickly down the corridor.

"Raphael!" Splinter stood quickly and ran over to him. "Is everything over? Is Leonardo alright?"

"Yeah dude." Mikey came over to him. "What took so long."

Raph shook his head and lifted his eyes to the group. "There's f...f..four….four eg….."

The last part trailed off as everyone watched in bewilderment as Raph fell face forward onto the floor. Rockwell came up behind him and smiled as Donnie and Mikey gently picked him up. They all looked at the mutant monkey quizzically. The nurse, meanwhile, returned with another incubator.

"There were four eggs." He announced, smiling as the group gasped in astonishment. "You may all come in and see them but only for a few minutes, Leonardo is exhausted and we must begin the transfusion."

The group went in and, while Mikey and Donnie laid Raph on the little sofa in front of the bed, Splinter walked over to where Leo laid looking pale and weak. He placed his paw on Leo's fevered head and bent down to give him a gentle kiss on his forehead. Leo's eyes slowly blinked open and he gave his Sensei a very tired and weak smile.

"Rest my son." Splinter told him. "The eggs are beautiful and I know my grandchildren will be very healthy." He stroked Leo's cheek as Leo's eyes fluttered closed.

Raph finally recovered and ran to Leo. "I can't believe it…Leo!" He looked between Leo and the eggs. "Four eggs, this is incredible, we need to think of another baby name, and we need to get another crib and highchair and…"

"Shhhhh." Leo whispered. "We'll figure it out….later."Leo sighed and opened his eyes. He looked over at the eggs and gave a tired smile. Raph stroked his mate's cheek as Leo once again to close his eyes.

"I'll be here when you wake up." Raph promised, kissing Leo tenderly on the lips. The group was escorted out the door and Rockwell and the nurse quickly went to work taking care of Leo and getting the transfusion done.

Raph watched as the door behind him closed. The fear swelling within him showed clearly in his emerald green eyes. "They'll be okay…right Sensei?"

The large brown rat placed a paw on his son's shoulder. "You must have hope my son." He told him. "Everything will be alright."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, one more chapter and this story will be completed. YYYEEEAAAHHH


	24. Chapter 24 Epilogue

Okay, last chapter. Hope you have all enjoyed the story and please R&R.

Ch 24 Epilogue

Splinter sighed as he looked down at the picture of the two smiling turtles staring lovingly into each others eyes and resting their foreheads against each other. It was the picture he took after Leo's first appointment when they learned they were suppose to be having triplets. Splinter placed the picture inside the cover of a book. He placed tape on the sides to hold it in place then put the book in a box. He smiled sadly and looked up at the picture of his wife that showed her holding a small baby girl and looking so happy. He played his thumb over the small picture. "How I wish you were here my beloved." He whispered softly. "So much is going on with our small family."

The ringing of the doorbell pulled Splinter away from his thoughts and he turned toward the entrance to the living room. He stopped and smiled at the chaotic scene before him.

Renet and Mikey made their way to the front door and smiled upon opening it to reveal Leatherhead, Rockwell, Mr. Kirby O'Neil, Angel, Mr. Arnold Jones, Casey and a three month pregnant April. Donnie ran over to Angel and gave her a tender kiss. The group walked in and Mr. O'Neil began setting up his camera.

"Okay everyone, let's get ready." He called out.

Splinter walked over to the Christmas tree in the corner and placed the small box under it. He then walked over to the couch and smoothed his red kimono. From the side of the couch, Raph walked over to him. "Sensei, who would you like to hold?"

Splinter smiled up at him. "I will take my granddaughters." He told him. Leo walked over to him with a bright smile, in his arms were two little turtle tots of about three months old. "Here is Shen." He told him handing over a chirping brown eyed dark green female turtle dressed in a beautiful red velvet dress.

Splinter took her in his arms and nuzzled her cheek. "My beautiful Shen, so much like your grandmother."

"And here is Venus." Raph said, taking a lighter green skinned blue eyed female turtle dressed in a beautiful blue velvet dress, from Leo and placing her in Splinter's other arm.

"Ah my beautiful Venus." Splinter nuzzled her cheek as well "So much like your other grandmother." He chuckled as Venus grabbed at Splinter's long beard.

"Quick D…"Mikey called out. "Runaway turtle."

"I'm on it!" Donnie yelled back He jumped over toward the corner of the living room where an army emerald green eyed turtle dressed in a plaid vest with white shirt and black pants attempted to toddle his way toward the very tall Christmas tree. "Gotcha Yoshi." He scooped him up and walked over to Raph and handed him his son. "How does he keep getting out of the play pen?"

"He's just curious about all those pretty lights." Angel said laughing.

"Always on the run there, huh Yoshi." Raph laughed as he tossed the happy, squealing turtle into the air.

"So much like you were huh Raph?" Renet said giggling.

A loud wailing noise coming from the play pen had Leo walking over to pick up their smallest child. "What's the matter Matthias?" Leo asked the little yellow green hazel eyed crying turtle whose outfit matched that of his brothers'. "You feeling left out?" He picked him up and hugged him contentedly and began humming the tune 'Pretty Little Horses' as he made his way over to the couch.

"Okay, we all set?" Mr. O'Neil asked.

Splinter sat in the middle of the couch with his two granddaughters on each knee. On his left sat Raph with Yoshi and on Splinter's right sat Leo with Mathias. Behind Leo, Donnie had his arms wrapped around Angel, a beautiful diamond engagement ring adorned her left index finger. They had set their wedding date for May.

Next to Angel was her father, Mr. Arnold Jones and beside him was Casey holding April as she rubbed her slightly swollen belly and smiled happily. Beside April was Renet and Mikey, both with shiny gold bands around their fingers. They had married at the beginning of December and were looking forward to starting their own little family. On the right side of the couch was Leatherhead and on the left was Rockwell.

Splinter looked at the camera and smiled. So much had happened in these last few years but finally, everything was settling down and Leonardo and Raphael were finally enjoying their new life.

Chaplin had been arrested and Falco had not survived the wound Leo had inflicted on him. The foot clan Karai and Tiger Claw had been apart of were no longer in New York. From what the police had told them they, along with Karai and the mutant tiger, had been rounded up and deported back to Japan. Leo had attempted to speak with Karia but she would have nothing to do with him.

"It's okay." He told Raph, coming out of the police department. "I've never been apart of that family and besides, I'm happy being part of this one." Raph was proud of his mate and new family, for him, it was good to see Leo being happy.

Leonardo's transfusion had been a success and he was now finally the happy young turtle he was suppose to be. He had taken over completely for Splinter in teaching the classes and the dojo was thriving under his teachings. Raphael was back in school and looking forward to being a full-fledged veterinarian.

Splinter was enjoying his new role as grandfather and, although he was still somewhat involved in his business, his new family took top priority. The happiness that surrounded him was more then he had dreamed of. He hugged his two little granddaughter's proudly and looked at the camera.

"Okay on the count of three, big smiles." Kirby said as he got in between April and Renet. "Everybody…one, two, three….!"

"FAMILY!" click

-END-

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And so ends my series 'The Travelers.' I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review. I would love to know what everyone thought. I have to admit, I never expected this story to go where it did. Originally they were going to meet in high school and I still might do a one shot of that. We'll see. Still so many stories to get to. Will be posting again soon.

-PEACE- :)


End file.
